The Tenth Child Part 2
by c.legler
Summary: PART 4/4 SERIES AFTER '...PART ONE': Lara, Kurtis, and Emily must stop an indestructible pair of immortal beings before they attempt to recreate the human world as it is known. Nightmares of Lemuria resurface as the possibility of returning draws near.
1. Siamak Lachesis

The train rumbled down the tracks into the desert lands of Cappadocia, Turkey. The hot sun from above beat down on the metal, warming the inside of the metro like an oven. They must've been on the road for at least three hours now – the sun would be setting soon.

They had moved her from the cabin she'd initially been in and had taken her to another cabin to keep a close eye on her. Of course, she was still handcuffed. God knew they wouldn't want to risk such a powerful person getting free – that could wreak havoc for the entire cause.

Emily Croft scrunched her arms into her body, pinned between two armed mercenaries, wishing she possessed invisibility or teleportation versus elemental manipulation. _Then I could get the heck out of here and find Mom and Dad,_ she thought. The thought of her parents brought tears to her eyes, the idea that she would never see them again once Joachim Karel had enacted this evil plan of rebreeding those Nephilim, or whatever he called them. Emily had always seen Lara Croft and Kurtis Trent as invincible, indestructible even. Now, though, with the very real possibility that she would be murdered once this whole thing was over, she began to feel her confidence and fearlessness seeping away, fading out the window into the desert skies.

Emily cautiously lifted her eyes to glance about. Two mercenaries beside her. Two guarding the door at the back of the room. Two guarding the door at the front of the room. There was no way in hell she could even think of an escape plan – any attempts would only be thwarted, and likely punished. Besides, what good would it do? She would break free – and then what? She very well couldn't jump off the train. She was trapped, and that was it.

Suddenly, Emily jerked forward, nearly falling off her seat. The mercenaries quickly grabbed her by her arms and shoved her back into the seat. _Thanks, guys,_ she thought dryly. Then, they rose from the seat, standing respectfully as the front door opened and Joachim Karel entered. He grinned down at the young girl before him. "We've arrived," he said.

Emily glared up at him. She'd been afraid of this 'man' since she'd had the misfortune of meeting him in France while staying with Garin Limoux. It was then that she'd witnessed his extraordinarily frightful powers – just before he murdered Garin, one of her father's Lux Veritatis brothers. Now, though, since she figured she was going to die anyway, she knew she shouldn't be afraid.

One of the merks unlocked her handcuffs from the floor panel below so she could rise. Then, they gripped her by both of her arms, shoving her forward from the train. She stepped into the sand, cringing as the sun's bright rays dug into her eyes and skin. She glanced around cautiously. They were in a secluded area, surrounded by railroad tracks, more sand, a small city in the far distance, and a large, stone temple before them. Karel seemed to revere the sight of the temple. After a moment's hesitation, he entered, the mercenaries following after him.

They trudged down the stone path that descended into the temple. Emily heard noises in the distance. _Sounds like voices,_ she thought. They continued forward until they entered into a large room, much like the one she'd been in with her father in Dundermot Mound. At least here, there were no skeletal knights trying to decapitate her. When they entered the room, though, she saw several other men, cloaked in black pantsuits like the one that had been at the Croft Manor so many nights before, attempting to kidnap Emily for the first time. Their hollow gazes fell upon her, and she felt her stomach coil with nervousness. Emily looked away, pretending to glance about the room with a mere curiosity.

The large, circular panel in the center of the floor had Lux Veritatis glyphs traced over it. Karel walked along the perimeter of the circle, eyeing it with a lust for knowledge. Then, he stepped forward, centering himself on the panel. He outstretched his arms with his palms facing down, then chanted something in Latin. Emily watched nervously, startling when the green energy surged from his palms and into the floor panel on which he stood. The perimeter of the panel began to surge with green, electrical flow. Karel dropped his hands to his side, then turned around, watching as the green energy rose forward to create a portal before him. Then, he turned and faced Emily. "Now is your time, my dear," he said. "Now is the time for you to meet the Black Angel."

Emily pulled back, bumping into the mercenaries who gripped her arms. They shoved her forward towards Karel, and then two of the Cabal followers took over, following after Karel into the portal. Nearly ten others entered, following after their master.

Karel moved forward, the Lux Veritatis glyphs along the walls illuminating with energy. Emily held her head low, as if she would be able to shrink away and disappear. _If I had my lighter, I'd take this bastard down,_ she thought. They continued forward until they entered into another room. Along the wall, there were eight tall statues, extending towards the ceiling. There were nameplates along the bottoms of them, reading some foreign Latin names. Emily immediately recognized the one that read 'Limoux'. _Could these be replicas of the Lux Veritatis brothers? _she thought.

A large, circular panel began to emerge from the floor with each step they took. Karel stopped once he reached it, gesturing for the men holding onto Emily to stand back. They stopped, pulling her back along the wall. The other men stepped forward, helping Karel turn the circular panel until the loud _clunk_ underneath it indicated that it had been turned as far as it would go.

Karel folded his hands together, drawing a silent breath. Then, without warning, swords protruded from eight slots in the panel, skewering the other Cabal members with a cry of pain. Karel cringed as the sword jutted out from his body. After a moment, the swords retracted into the panel, and the other Cabal members fell dead. Emily squeezed her eyes shut, turning her head away to ward the evil sight out of her head. The hole in Karel's stomach immediately healed, sealing shut. Then, he glanced backwards at the Cabal followers, and they ushered Emily forward, standing by her side.

The eight statues along the wall of the room began to move forward along the track panel on the floor. Emily shrunk away, wishing she could run down the hall, through the portal, and into open air. _Why didn't I just stay in Maghery with Father Patrick? _she thought regretfully. The statues moved forward, and then their own swords jutted forward, skewering the large circular panel in the middle of the room. They retracted their swords as the dust settled around them. After a moment, a coffin in the center of the floor was revealed, with a large, cross-like paneled covering over the top of it. Karel narrowed his eyes at the coffin. "We've found him," he declared.

The other Cabal members who had evaded death stepped forward to remove the coffin's lid. They tossed it aside quickly, coughing as the dust and foul smell of a corpse entered their nostrils. Emily covered her nose and mouth, turning away from whatever she would be forced to meet within moments. After a silent moment, she slowly turned back, staring down into the coffin of a skeletal corpse. _At least this one isn't alive,_ she thought.

As soon as she'd finished her thought, however, the skeleton began to move, ever so slowly, pulling itself to life. His arms outstretched from the crossed-over position they'd been in over his chest. He pulled himself up until he was seated forward. Bits of flesh covered his entire body, singed rags adorned where his body parts _should_ have been. After a moment, the corpse stood fully, stepping out of the coffin to approach Karel. Karel stared into where its eyes should be, showing respect. "Siamak Lachesis, ruler of Lemuria, I have come to awaken you and send you home. First, it would only be customary that you show your gratitude by helping me in my own journey of finding my home."

The skeleton groaned, and Emily was certain he wasn't pleased with what he heard. Then, he began to speak in a dark, hollow voice, in a language that Emily didn't recognize. He began circling around Karel as if assessing whether or not he should allow him to live. Finally, he stopped, standing before Karel. He spoke again in the foreign language.

"The last thing I would ever do is disrupt your peace," Karel said calmly. "As I said, I only wish to return you to your home in Lemuria. A noble deed, is it not?" The skeleton muttered again in the foreign language. Then, Karel paced before him casually. "What's it been? Several _thousand_ years since you've sat on your throne? Let's not be ridiculous. You may have been peacefully asleep in your coffin, no doubt, but just think of how much more peaceful you'll be, returning to Lemuria."

The knight stared at him, seemingly glaring in anger. Then, he groaned some more of the foreign language. "Not to worry," Karel said. "I was already aware of the predicament beforehand. I wouldn't come unprepared." Karel casually walked over to Emily, stopping before her. He gestured his hand in her direction. "This child exhibits the strength of a thousand warriors. Her powers are far too invaluable to be left to someone so…" He turned to her. "…careless. Hence why I feel you should have them. Consider it a gift. Imagine how powerful you'd be…"

Emily stared fearfully up at the walking corpse, then glanced over at Karel as he sold her over to the undead knight. The knight, however, seemed uninterested in Karel's offer, and began to shout in the foreign language. Karel remained calm regardless. "Let's not have this animosity between us," he said. "We both know how pointless this is. You need my help to return to Lemuria, and I need your help to rebreed the Nephilim race." The skeleton began to speak again, but Karel lifted his hand to silence him. "The Lux Veritatis are your enemy. Had I not reached you first, the 'lackeys' themselves would've come to rid the world of your presence. In fact…" He turned towards Emily and shoved her forward onto the floor.

Emily was too afraid to look up. She sat on the ground on her hands and knees, her eyes closed, her head dropped low. _Please get me out of here, please get me out of here,_ she asked to no one in particular. She stared down at the dingy brown color on the floor, the sound of Karel's circling footsteps echoing in her mind. "…_she_ is Lux Veritatis herself. You wouldn't want someone so powerful getting in your way, would you?" For the first time since Karel had begun his argument, the knight seemed to adhere to his statements. He slowly glanced down at the trembling child before him. Then, he muttered something to Karel. Karel quickly approached Emily's side and dragged her to her feet. The knight approached her slowly, gripping her chin to examine her face, as if he recognized her.

Emily felt tears of fear and panic coming to her eyes. She could smell the rotting flesh from the knight. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut as he continued to examine her, like a cat trying to decide if the bird was worth the kill or not. Emily balled her fists at her side, praying that the horror would end soon. Finally, he released her and stepped backwards, muttering something to Karel. "Yes, she is Lux Veritatis," he confirmed again. "A descendant of the ninth generation warrior, Montsegur." The knight spoke something to him again, then turned away, taking slow steps towards the exit.

Karel grinned devilishly as he watched the Black Angel march away. One of the Cabal followers nervously approached him. "You're just going to let him go, Master?"

"Why would I let go of something so powerful?" Karel asked rhetorically. "He's a walking time bomb, and we don't want to be in his path of destruction when he explodes, do we?" he asked.

Emily was unsure as to why she was still alive. Karel had promised that the knight would need her powers, and likely kill her after. For whatever reason, she was still alive. She closed her hands into fists again, trying to control her trembling fear.

_Em? Are you there? _a voice entered her head. Emily's face knit into confusion, glancing around the room nervously. No one was looking at her. No one was facing her. What was going on? _Em, it's me. It's Kurtis._

Emily's hear soared at the sound of her father's voice. _Where are you?_ she asked quickly.

_Your mother and I just arrived in Turkey. Do you know where you are?_

_In some weird temple,_ she said. _Karel dragged me down here._

_Stay with me, Em, _he ordered. _That's the only way we can find you. Just hold on a little longer…_

Emily glanced up, knowing she would need to stall Karel if she wanted her parents to have a chance at finding her. Thankfully, for whatever reason, no one was budging. Emily pretended to be curious about the temple, glancing around the room. "Where are we?" she asked nervously.

"The temple of the Black Angel," Karel said. "The place where his body was moved after being dug up by your Lux Veritatis ancestors." He spat with words of contempt.

"I thought you were going to kill me…?" she said irritably.

"For whatever reason, Siamak isn't interested in your powers yet," he said, a sly grin crossing his face. "But you'll serve your purpose soon enough."

_You still there? _she asked Kurtis.

_I'm not going anywhere, _Kurtis responded. _We're getting close. There's a large stone temple ahead…_

_That's it!_ Emily said quickly. _That's where we went! Be careful. There are mercenaries inside, and beyond that, through the portal, Karel is waiting with his Cabal buddies._

_When I give you the word, you need to run, _Kurtis commanded.

_Run where? _she asked. _I'm trapped in a big room. There's nowhere to go._

_Find somewhere, _Kurtis said, _even if you have to run in circles. Just get away from them._

Emily backed away from Karel, pretending to look over the ornate structure of the coffin. Her hands fell over the markings, and she examined them as though she were truly interested in their symbolism, though really she wanted to run away and flip Karel off as she made her way to safe ground. Then, the ground began to shake violently as an explosion beyond went off. Emily fell to her feet, covering her head as the stone ruins began to collapse. _Run, Emily! _Kurtis ordered.

Karel and his buddies seemed to be just as confused as she was. _Now's my chance!_ she thought quickly. Emily rose to her feet as quickly as possible, then bolted past Karel, narrowly escaping his hand as he reached out to grab her. She heard him shouting commands to his buddies, probably to go after her. She didn't stop. She only continued forward, propelled by the hope that she could dive into the safety in her parents' arms once she managed to get through this hell-hole.


	2. Regrouping

**So I realized after publishing the first chapter that I didn't put up any commentary, and I was too lazy to go back and fix it...so I apologize. So how the hell is everyone? It's been a few long weeks, hasn't it?! Hope everyone is doing well, getting ready for fall and winter and what not.**

So how did you guys like Emily's side of the story? And meeting the Black Angel/Lost Knight? Well, get ready for some more, except this is Lara and Kurtis's side, which will reconvene with the rest of the story. So read on!!

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**Lara gripped the overhead rail in the chopper with a strong fist, clenching it both in anger directed towards Karel, and in fear for her daughter's life. _We'll get her back,_ she repeated to herself over and over. _We'll get her back, and she'll be fine. _No matter how much she said it, though, she didn't believe herself.

They'd convinced themselves time and time again – Karel was a madman who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. If Karel wanted Emily, he would get her, and use her for whatever sick, twisted purpose he had in mind. He was a sadist, to say the least, and he'd kidnapped Lara's child, the light of her life. _I'm going to kill him, _she thought angrily. _I'll kill him, bring him back, and then kill him again. _Her fist tightened on the railing with each passing thought.

"Do you see anything?" Kurtis called to the pilot over the whirring propellers.

"Sand, sand, and more sand," the pilot responded. "We're getting close to a village, though."

"No, we don't care about a village," Kurtis argued. "We're looking for a temple. A huge temple. Do you know what a temple is?"

"Take it easy," the pilot retorted. "I've got my scanner on for activity. If I see something, I'll let you know."

Kurtis sighed in frustration, leaning back in his seat across from Lara. _When I find Karel, I'm going to shove my fist through his face,_ he thought. As if it would do anything – that was irrelevant. He needed to make Karel suffer some immediate physical pain, even if it was minimal. At least it would make Kurtis feel good.

He glanced up at Lara as she stared out the window, her gaze transfixed as though she hadn't moved in hours. The veins in her arm were protruding, indicating she was squeezing the railing hard enough to bend it in half. It wasn't until that moment that Kurtis noticed that he himself was actually drumming his fingers on the arm of the chair. He balled his hand into a fist to resist the urge to delve into the nervous habit, and instead, ran his fingers through his hair, leaning forward with a sigh. _How much longer is this going to take? _he thought.

All his worry and fear for Emily certainly brought one complex thought to mind – a small girl, whom he'd never met before, entered his life, was revealed to be his twelve-year-old daughter, and was then kidnapped by his nemesis. He found himself struggling to hold every fiber of his being together as his only child sat somewhere in the clutches of a sadistic murderer. What surprised him most about the situation was _how much_ he cared. He hardly knew this kid. He didn't know much about her at all, in fact. Realistically speaking, she was just another life that needed saving. She just happened to carry his blood and lineage. For whatever reason, though, he was stressing over her situation as much as Lara was – and Lara had been with Emily her entire life.

Kurtis was amazed at how, in a quick instant, a young girl whom he was rescuing from bullies (out of pure necessity) turned out to be the young girl he'd put his life on the line for (out of both necessity and urge). He'd known her for a few days, and yet he carried the burden of her current predicament on his shoulders as though he'd been with her his whole life, as though _he'd _been there to rock her to sleep as a baby. As thought _he'd _been there to help her take her first steps. As though _he'd _been there to take her to karate practice, or to piano practice, or to teach her how to shoot a gun, or how to fight off a pack of menacing bullies.

Of course, he hadn't been there. Where had he been? In Lemuria, trapped beyond the unopened portal. It had taken him six years in Lemuria, and twelve years in reality, to finally find that damned portal, and to reach one of his brothers who could help him. The place had turned him into a brute, without question, but Lara and Emily had helped to bring him back to his senses, the only two people in the world that mattered more to him than anything else.

Lara sighed, leaning forward. "Can't you find her?" she asked Kurtis. "Can't you communicate with her somehow?"

"It doesn't work that way," Kurtis said regretfully. "I have to be within certain proximity to reach her. It's kind of like Farsee."

"But you don't know where she is," Lara countered. "She could be right below us…"

Kurtis sighed, leaning forward and closing his eyes. _God, help me,_ he begged. Then he focused as hard as he could on the image of his daughter. His mind reacted in the way it would as if he were going into Farsee, although in a much more subtle manner. He searched the area for telepathic waves, hoping to find some sort of disturbance that would alert his senses. _Emily, can you hear me?_ he asked into the hollow space.

Nothing. No response. _Em, it's me. It's your father,_ he repeated. _Emily…I'm so sorry. I should've taken better care of you. I should've been there for you. I should've been there to raise you. I should've come home sooner…_

"Are you alright?" Lara asked, interrupting his silent reverie. He looked up at her, his thoughts fading away. "Fine," he said. "Why?"

"You're…you're trembling," she told him.

He glanced down at his hands. They were glistening with sweat from both anxiety and guilt. He sighed, clasping his palms together, and looked up at Lara. "I can't reach her," he said.

Lara sighed, fighting to hold herself together. "It's fine," she said quickly. "We'll reach her soon enough."

"Hey, folks," the pilot called. "I see something up ahead."

Lara and Kurtis quickly rose and entered the cockpit, although they knew they weren't supposed to. The pilot gestured towards the large stone building down below, and a fit of four train cabins stopped on the tracks beside it. "Surprisingly conspicuous for Karel," Lara said.

"Drop us off there," Kurtis directed quickly.

"I can't get that close," the pilot protested. "The incoming sand storm will down the chopper. I can stop here, but that's as far as I go."

"That's fine," Lara said quickly.

The pilot flicked several switches along the circuit board, and after a moment, the helicopter descended to the ground. As soon as they stepped outside, they were greeted by a wave of sand from the incoming storm. They quickly shielded their eyes as the pilot departed. Then, they trekked forward as the bits of sand dug into their skin like glass.

Kurtis stopped walking after a moment. "I'm going to try to reach her again," he said quickly. Lara stopped alongside of him, waiting for him to get to work. Kurtis reached his hands to his head again, closing his eyes. He drew in a deep breath, then focused again on the image of his daughter. _Em? Are you there?_ he asked. He gained no response, but then figured after a moment that Emily was probably confused as to the intrusive voice in her head. _Em, it's me. It's Kurtis…_

_Where are you? _she responded.

Kurtis felt relief sink into his body._ Your mother and I just arrived in Turkey. Do you know where you are?_

_In some weird temple,_ she replied. _Karel dragged me down here._

_Stay with me, Em, _he directed her. _That's the only way we can find you. Just hold on a little longer…_

The sound of fear in Emily's voice made Kurtis numb with anxiety, and anxious over the thought of his daughter settled in fear somewhere deep inside the temple standing before them. "I've got her," Kurtis said quickly.

Lara looked up. "She responded?"

"She's inside the temple," he said. "Let's go."

They continued to move forward, picking up the pace to a steady jog. The white, stone temple enlarged in their view, and within seconds, they were standing just outside. "This has to be it," Lara said over the wind. "It's the only place around for miles, and it wasn't on the satellite feeds."

Kurtis loaded a fresh magazine into his gun, then holstered the weapon. He glanced back at the train. The edges of the cabins read 'Dublin'. "They're definitely here," he said quickly. "This train came all the way from Ireland."

Lara loaded new clips into her own guns, a look of duty and determination falling into her eyes. "Well, this is a tomb," she said. "Let's make them feel welcome."

_You still there?_ Kurtis heard a voice ask.

Every time he heard her voice, he grew more fearful for her. He very well couldn't show that, though. He had to be strong, for her more than anything. _I'm not going anywhere, _Kurtis responded calmly. _We're getting close. There's a large stone temple ahead…_

_That's it!_ Emily said quickly. _That's where we went! Be careful. There are mercenaries inside, and beyond that, through the portal, Karel is waiting with his Cabal buddies._

Kurtis turned to Lara. "Let's go in," he said. They trudged forward, keeping their weapons low, ready to fire at the sight of any enemy nearby. They immediately stopped when they heard voices ahead. _Must be the merks Emily warned about, _Kurtis speculated. Lara peered around the corner, then nodded to him to confirm his suspicion. Kurtis drew in a deep breath. _When I give you the word, _he said to Emily, _you need to run._

_Run where? _she asked fearfully. _I'm trapped in a big room. There's nowhere to go._

_Find somewhere, _Kurtis said, _even if you have to run in circles. Just get away from them._ Of course, running in circles wouldn't necessarily get her anywhere, but it sure as hell would get her out of Karel's grip. Kurtis turned to Lara. "We're just going to have to storm our way through," he said quietly.

"My thoughts exactly," she finished. Kurtis reached his hand down slowly, removing the Chirugai from his belt. He stared down at it as though he didn't know what it was. When he looked up at Lara though, and saw the encouraging flicker of life in her eyes, he knew it was time. He nodded slowly to her, then used his powers to activate the glow. He threw the Chirugai forward and into the next room, killing five guards right off the bat. Then, he and Lara shoved out of their hiding places and moved forward, opening fire on anyone that stood in the way.

Lara moved along the left side of the room with quick speed, firing shots at anyone in her way. When her pistols were empty, she ducked behind a nearby pillar, then removed her assault rifle strapped to her back. She turned away, anger in her eyes, and started firing at the mercenaries blocking the portal. _I'm going to have to take them out to get inside, _she thought. Before she could open fire, though, the portal exploded, sending the guards flying forward into the wall ahead. Lara ducked behind the pillar, then moved back out, training her gun on the explosion. The portal had disappeared, but she could see what she'd assumed had lain beyond it just moments before.

Up ahead, there were several paths and hallways, intricate patterns along the walls, and a flickering glow at the end of her vision. She looked up to Kurtis, who was across the room. "Go, Lara!" he shouted. Without a second thought, she dived forward and rushed through the broken portal.

Emily ran through the halls of the temple as fast as she possibly could, not stopping for a breath, not stopping to look back, and not stopping to think. She just ran. She had no idea where she was going, but that seemed irrelevant. She just needed to get away from Karel and his freakish friends.

As she continued to rush through the halls, she noticed hallways and corridors that hadn't been there before. _What happened when that explosion went off?_ she thought. Then, she remembered the Black Angel. _Where the heck is that guy?_ She didn't really care – so long as he stayed away from her.

Emily skidded to a halt as she stood above what seemed to be an endless pitfall. She peered down into its depths, thankful she'd seen it ahead of time. _That must be the way out,_ she thought, gazing up at the light at the end of the hallway opposite the path. Then, she turned away, glancing towards the right. There was another hallway that seemed to snake along in the same direction. It was the only option she had.

Emily bolted down the hallway, running along the dizzying corridor. Finally, she stopped. She knew she shouldn't, but she did. She leaned against the wall, her heart pounding, her lungs empty. _I think I'm going to be sick,_ she thought as she leaned over, ready to heave her insides. She closed her eyes, counting to three. Then, she looked up, turning down the hallway only to come face-to-face with a dead end. _Fan-bloody-tastic, _she thought regretfully. She turned away, ready to return to her original path, but stopped dead in her tracks when she found herself staring into the face of the Black Angel.

Emily's knees began to shake, and her legs became stiff. _Run! _she commanded herself. _Run away!_ She couldn't. Her body wouldn't respond. The skeletal knight stood before her, seemingly staring into the core of her soul. She backed away until she felt herself against the wall. There _was_ nowhere to run. She was his now.

The knight began to speak to her in the muffled, deep voice he'd spoken in before, talking in the language she didn't understand. Was he speaking _to_ her, or _at _her? Emily began to take small, inching steps towards the right, hoping to make it back to the hallway. "Please help me," she said quietly, trying to remain as calm as possible. "God, please help me…"

The knight continued to speak. Then, he reached his hand forward. Emily startled and pulled away, but found that he was only reaching out to her. He held his hand in her direction. _What does he want?_ she thought. She didn't know why, but he wasn't trying to hurt her. Strangely enough, he seemed less dangerous than Karel.

Emily heard scuffles coming from the corridor beyond, and she looked up in time to see Kurtis approaching with his gun held at eye-level. His eyes grew wide at the sight of the skeletal knight standing before Emily, and he took a cautious step back, lowering his gun so he wouldn't appear as a threat. "Emily…" he said slowly, "come this way very carefully…"

The knight took a small step towards her, his hand still extended in her direction. He was growing impatient. "Stay back…" she said nervously as she backed towards the wall. He continued to speak in the foreign language, impatience edging into his tone. Emily glanced up at Kurtis, but he was lowering his weapon, as if confused by what was going on. "Dad, help me…" she begged.

_Dad?_ Kurtis thought, stunned. It was the first time Emily had actually called him that. It shocked him, to say the least, but the task at hand was far more important. He holstered his gun and took slow, steady steps in Emily's direction, reaching his hand towards her. She inched closer in his direction, raising her hand ever so subtly to take his own hand. Suddenly, the knight turned, recognizing Kurtis's presence for the first time. He groaned in anger, and reached a hand backwards, shoving Kurtis back into the wall down the hallway.

Emily saw it as the window of opportunity. She quickly bolted past the skeleton warrior and towards her father, who was already regaining his footing. He opened fire on the knight long enough to stun him, then turned down the hallway, dragging Emily along by the arm. He knew she wouldn't be able to keep up with him, but if he had to, he would carry her. They needed to get out _now_.

Kurtis shoved Emily forward, and she fell through a very thin wall of energy – likely where the portal _had _been. Kurtis quickly reached her side, but nearly plowed into Lara as she emerged from a nearby corridor. "Mom!" Emily shouted in relief.

"We need to move!" Lara said quickly. She ushered Emily forward, and Kurtis followed after. Lara removed a grenade from her belt and pulled the pin out. Just as she looked up, she saw an undead warrior coming her way. _Don't these guys ever quit?_ she thought. She threw the grenade into the space before her, and the explosion separated her from the knight in the distance. Then, she turned away, following after Kurtis and Emily. _Time to get the hell out of here, _she thought.

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**trfanfrombeg:** I hadn't even thought of that until after you wrote that. It DOES remind me of that scene from the Mummy Returns!! =D

**OveractiveImaginer:** God DAMMIT, did I do it AGAIN?!?!?! Oy. I gotta pay more attention -_-

**Alright everyone, I'll catch you on Friday, October 9. Stay tuned!! =D**


	3. Home Again

**Back again with chapter three. Enjoy!**

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**Lara, Kurtis, and Emily quickly bolted out of the temple. The roar from within indicated that it would be collapsing within moments. It wouldn't make a difference against Karel and the Black Angel, though. They would recuperate in minutes. Lara removed another grenade from her belt, pulling the pin out. She lurched it forward, watching as the entrance to the temple exploded. Emily staggered backwards, covering her head, but Lara stared on, with only one thought in mind – _Good riddance._

Lara turned to face Emily, glimpsing Kurtis in the background as he climbed onto the train. "Are you alright?" she asked quickly, gripping Emily's face in her hands.

Tears came to Emily's eyes immediately, and she dove into her mother for an embrace. "I'm sorry, Mom," she muttered. "I never should've left Maghery."

"There, there, now, love," she soothed her. "It's alright. You're not hurt, are you?" She pulled her daughter out of her arms, examining her quickly. There were a few cuts and bruises along her arms, legs, and face, but other than that, she seemed to be okay. Above all, she must've been shocked and scared.

"I hate to break this up," Kurtis called quickly, "but we've got to get going."

Lara gently ushered Emily forward, and they stepped onto the train. Emily seated herself in the back corner, staring out the window as if waiting for a walking corpse to emerge from the ashes…

Lara heard Kurtis load the bullet into the chamber of his gun, and looked up to see him pressing it against the train conductor's head. "Alright, buddy," he said. "Get us out of here. And make it as fast as possible."

The conductor nervously fiddled with the switchboard. He pressed a button to detach the extended cabin cars on the back. Then, he pressed several more buttons. After a moment, the engine turned over, and the train began to move along the tracks with a jerking motion. Lara fought to hold her footing. Then, she turned away, peering out the window as the train pulled away from the ruins of the temple.

"And where exactly are we going?" Lara asked, leaning against the wall.

"Apparently, we're going into that hick-ass city up ahead," Kurtis said, peering through the window.

Lara tapped into her headset. "Alister, Zip, we're out. We need aerial transportation out of Cappadocia as quickly as possible."

"Working on it, Lara," Zip responded. "We've got a hilo in bound right now. He should land about the time your train docks."

"Smashing," she replied. "Once you're done, I want the two of you to head back into London yourselves. We're going home."

"Are you sure that's the best idea, Lara?" Zip asked nervously.

"Karel will find us wherever we go," she admitted bitterly. "We might as well be comfortable when he does it."

Lara immediately regretted making the comment as she looked up to see the fear returning to Emily's face. She sighed to herself, seating herself next to her daughter. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

Emily shook her head fervently. "Not right now," she said. "I don't even want to think about it."

Lara slowly looked up at Kurtis, whose gaze dropped to the floor with guilt and sorrow for their daughter. Then, he turned back to the conductor, keeping the gun trained on the back of his head. _I can't wait to get out of this God-forsaken place, _Kurtis thought with a sigh.

* * *

Several hours later, Lara, Kurtis, and Emily pushed through the front door of the Croft Manor. The London night sky above was dotted with beautiful stars, although the trio hardly noticed it from exhaustion. Emily's nerves were shot, and in turn, she was ready to collapse. Lara and Kurtis hadn't slept in over twenty-four hours, and it was all they could do to stand on their own two feet.

Winston immediately approached them. "I've already tended to your rooms, Lady Croft," he said. "Is there anything else you'd like?"

"No, that'll be all, Winston," Lara said with exhaust. "I appreciate your help."

Winston turned away towards the hallway to retire to bed. It was only eight o'clock in the evening in London, but it felt much later. Alister emerged from the tech room, a look of vibrant life in his eyes. "You're all looking quite lovely," he commented.

"Some of us haven't slept in two days," Lara said irritably. "I suggest you keep quiet."

"Right, then," he said nervously. "Would you like some help with your bags?"

Lara dropped her bags in the middle of the grand hallway. "They're staying here for now."

"Very well," Alister sighed. "I know you're tired and such, but would you like to take a look at the sword?"

"You mean the sword _fragments_…?" Lara corrected him.

"No, the sword itself," Alister said. He headed in the direction of the tech room, and Lara, Kurtis, and Emily followed. "Remember how Excalibur was separated into several pieces, then reformed together? This is basically the same thing." He reached around Zip for the sword, holding it up for the others to examine. "How's that for irony? It looks exactly like Excalibur."

"That it does," Lara agreed, taking the weapon into her hand. "It's quite beautiful."

"And I was also able to extract some of the glyphs on the blade," he continued. "They speak of Siamak Lachesis, and how he was the ruler of Lemuria."

Kurtis looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"He…he was the ruler of Lemuria…?" he repeated.

"Yeah," Emily spoke up. "Karel kept talking about that."

"What did he say?" Kurtis asked quickly.

"Well, when he woke the knight up, he was saying something about how he wanted to return him to his 'throne' in Lemuria, so long as the Black Angel would help him. That was right before he…" She looked down, clenching her fist.

"Before he what?" Lara asked.

She slowly looked up, her eyes glossed over with tears of anger. "He tried to steal my powers and give them to the knight."

"He what?" Alister asked. "So that's why he wanted you?"

"I guess so," Emily shrugged. "He said the Nephilim army would be unstoppable once the Black Angel had my powers."

"Yeah, so he thinks," Kurtis muttered angrily.

"But…" she said slowly, seating herself on the couch, "for some reason, the Black Angel seemed…uninterested, like he didn't even want my powers. He didn't even seem to care about hurting me or anything, not at all like Karel…"

Kurtis sighed to himself, running his fingers through his hair. _I guess I'll have to tell them now, _he thought reluctantly. He stood to his feet fully, folding his arms over his chest. "I didn't understand it at first either," he spoke up slowly, "but when he started talking, it made sense."

Lara glanced in his direction. "You saw him too?"

"Yeah," Kurtis said. "And so did you – the walking corpse heading towards you before you blew up the place."

"Ah," she said. "I'd assumed it was another Sleepless Knight."

"If only it were," Kurtis sighed. "Things would be a lot easier."

"But what was he saying?" Emily asked eagerly.

Kurtis drew in a deep breath, keeping eye contact with his daughter. "He was saying something about you going with him."

"Going where?" she asked with confusion.

"I don't know," he admitted, "but my guess is Lemuria."

"And why is that?" Lara asked.

"What else would he be talking about?" Kurtis countered. He seated himself next to Emily on the couch, staring forward in concentration. "He kept saying something about his 'queen'."

"His what?" Alister asked.

Kurtis looked up at Alister. "He thinks Emily is his queen."

"What? Why?" Emily asked, leaning forward. "I don't get it. He doesn't even know me."

"He knows who you are, though," Kurtis admitted bitterly. "You're the tenth child, the only tenth generation Lux Veritatis that bears powers strong enough to give the Black Angel a challenge – and possibly strong enough to put Karel away."

"But why me?" she asked in disbelief. "I'm sure there are other kids my age that are Lux Veritatis too…"

"It's because you're _my _daughter," he said, facing her. A part of him was overly pleased and honored to say that as he stared into the matching pair of blue eyes that belonged to the only child he would ever call his daughter. The other part, though, was fearful for her, more fearful than he could even begin to explain. He drew in a deep breath. "You carry my blood. You carry my father's blood. My father was the one who began the order of the Lux knights, aside of Siamak himself…"

Emily stared into his eyes with confusion. "So…all of this makes him think I'm his…_queen_?" she asked.

"I don't know," Kurtis admitted with a sigh. "It's all speculation, but it makes sense."

Emily slowly looked up in contemplation. "The thing is…he didn't seem to be all that threatened by Karel. Karel seemed to be nothing more than an extra factor to him."

"Yes, of course," Lara said thoughtfully. "Karel doesn't seem to understand that the Black Angel has free will."

"He wants to make him his puppet," Kurtis added. "That's not going to happen. One wrong word out of Karel's mouth and the Black Angel will put him away himself."

"Is he really that powerful?" Emily asked timidly.

"More than you can imagine," Lara said.

"I'd be more worried about him than about Karel," Alister chipped in. "If he thinks Emily is his queen – or whatever – he's less likely to cause harm to her…"

"Doesn't mean he doesn't have his own motives," Kurtis reminded him.

"The Black Angel is like a sleeping giant," Lara said. "We wouldn't want to upset him."

"Of course not," Alister said nervously. "So what's next?"

Lara pushed off from the wall. "We'll discuss it tomorrow. Everyone needs rest. Let's head off to bed."

On that note, Emily turned away and headed up the stairs to her bedroom, Lara following. She stopped once she pushed the door open, standing amidst the cold, stale air. Emily peered into the corner where the Cabal follower had nearly kidnapped her. Kurtis, however, had been there to rescue her, and put the man in his place. _My dad is the coolest guy ever, _she thought passively.

With a sigh, Emily headed towards her bed, climbing underneath the covers. Lara pushed the blankets up over her shoulders. "Are you sure you'll be alright in here?" she asked.

"I've seen enough in the past few days, and I'm tired as it is," Emily said flatly. "I'm sure I'll manage."

Lara chuckled a bit. "Don't try to be so strong. You'll end up like me." She leaned forward and kissed Emily on the forehead. Then, she turned away, heading for the door. She stopped for a split second, glancing back at the figure in the bed that was her daughter. _She'll be alright in here,_ she tried to convince herself.

Lara quietly turned away and pulled the door shut behind her. The grand hallway was dimly lit, indicating that the boys had retired to bed. _Where is Kurtis? _Lara thought. Winston had said that he'd prepared rooms for them…

Then, Lara heard footsteps trudging wearily up the stairs. She looked up to see Kurtis as he offered her a weary smile. "Everything settled?" he asked.

"All is well," Lara returned quietly.

"Zip said the security system is up," Kurtis told her. "There shouldn't be anything to worry about."

The image of a walking corpse entered Lara's mind, but she quickly pushed it aside. _I'm too tired to battle those demons, _Lara thought wearily. Lara drew in a breath. "Right. Off to bed then." Kurtis turned away to head down the hall, but Lara stopped him. She leaned against the wall, watching him with a seductive, flirty look. "Did I mention how impractical it is for you to take up space in the other room when you could do so in mine?"

Kurtis turned around, facing her with a grin. "I think it slipped your mind."

"Perhaps," Lara said with a sly grin.

She turned away and pushed her door open. Kurtis followed after her, closing the door behind him. Lara fell across the bed with a sigh of exhaustion, too tired to even bother pulling the blankets down. She looked up in time to take in the marvelous sight of Kurtis removing his shirt. Then, he climbed across the bed, lying on the empty side. Lara turned her head over to him, smiling subtly at his presence.

"So how has Lady Croft gotten along in the past several years?" he asked casually.

"As well as anyone else, I'd suppose," she replied.

"Not quite," he said with a low laugh. "I don't know anyone else who fights off immortal enemies and chases around demon knights. _And_ all the while, manages to raise a teenage daughter…"

"I find a new way to do it all each day," Lara replied casually. "All in a day's work."

"No husbands or boyfriends or fiancés to offer some help?" he asked with a playful grin.

"Alister, Zip, and Winston have been all the help I could need," she said flatly.

"Then what's this?" he asked, pulling her left hand forward to gaze down at the diamond on her finger. The tender touch between his fingertips and her soft skin sent shivers up Lara's spine. "I didn't need any other man to cramp my style. I figured wearing a ring would give off that impression."

He laughed, releasing her hand. "_Cramp_ your style?" he asked. "The overstatement of the year…"

Lara drew in a silent breath. "I didn't want to belong to anyone else. And since then, I haven't met a man who could keep up with me. Do you honestly think some lord of the court could handle me and my antics, not to mention my overzealous teenage daughter?"

"No," Kurtis said immediately. "Maybe not some lord of any London courts…"

"The same idea I had…" Lara said slowly. "I've only met one man who _could_ keep up with me – he was this tall, handsome, blue-eyed Yank who taunted me to steal my Obscura Painting and then trapped me in a damned airlock while he made off with my goods."

"Don't forget that he stalked you from Paris to Prague," he added with a devilish grin.

"Oh, of course," Lara said dryly. "I could never forget that…"

Kurtis chuckled his low, sexy laugh that he often did, making Lara go weak in the knees. _I wasn't joking,_ she thought. Of course, she knew well enough now that if she wanted to get him to believe her, she would have to say it. She looked over at him, waiting until he met her gaze. "There isn't a person in this world like you," she said softly. "Maybe that was what was wrong with all the other men I've known…"

Kurtis pushed off the bed and leaned over her, grazing her lips with his. Then, he pulled back a bit, just enough so that she could still feel his breath against her lips. "Maybe it was," he agreed. Then he leaned over her, kissing her fully on the mouth, savoring her taste as if he'd never experienced something so sweet before.

* * *

  
**Will update on Wednesday, October 14. See you guys then!**


	4. Turkey

**Sorry it's so late! My computer wasn't working properly so I had to wait to get to appropriate functioning technology =P Anyway...here's chapter 4! Rather short, but I will update on Sunday/Monday with chapter 5, so hang in there, and read on! =D**

* * *

_The following morning, in Turkey_

Two black jeeps rumbled down the road of the Turkey desert land. Each jeep carried four men, armed with automatic assault rifles strapped over their backs. They were clothed in white tank tops, and had cloth wrapped over their heads to hide everything on their face except for their eyes. The sand stirred under the tires as the jeeps sped through the desert.

It was just past nine o'clock in the morning, but as far as the tomb raiders were concerned, it was never too early to do some grave robbing. After all, that was what they lived for – breaking into ancient tombs and burial sites for the treasures that lay beyond what the naked eye could see. The man who appeared to be the leader shouted to his comrades to pull the jeeps over at the site of the temple – temple _ruins_?

The man dismounted from the jeep, approaching the collapsed temple with confusion. Just a day and a half ago, a temple had stood where these ruins were. What had happened in such a short time? He turned to his followers and gestured towards the debris. "Look anyway," he ordered them in Turkish. "There still might be something valuable. You three – keep watch for authorities. Open fire if you have to."

Four of the eight men began to dig through the rubbish, shoving aside large rocks and stones, careful not to upset what still stood. The leader glanced around anxiously, as if waiting for the police to emerge and arrest them. Perhaps they'd destroyed the temple just to draw out the infamous grave robbers – no, why would they do that? They could just hunt them down instead.

The man stopped moving when he caught the glimpse of something moving behind one of the remaining pillars. He nervously took hold of his gun and trekked towards the sight, taking more caution than he usually would. He aimed his gun at the pile of debris that he could've _sworn _had moved…

Then, without any expectation, the man was thrown backwards as the debris imploded. Dust settled around as the other followers slowly turned their attention to the sight, holding their guns close to their bodies. Then, they saw the figure of a tall, blonde man standing in the midst of the rubbish. One of the men cautiously approached him, keeping his rifle trained on his head. "Hey, you, come over here."

The blonde man did not respond, but he didn't look happy. The gunman loaded his magazine, growing angry. "I said get over here!" he shouted. Then, the blonde man reached his hand forward, shoving the mercenary backwards with a telekinetic surge. The other men began to open fire on him. He staggered a bit, but after a moment, his entire body ignited into green energy, and with a sudden burst, the remaining six men that still stood were killed in an instant.

Karel glared at the bodies of the men he'd murdered. "You humans break so easily," he muttered. Then, in the distance, he heard some movement. He casually glanced back as the debris behind him began to rattle and hum. Then, after a moment, a skeletal knight emerged. He shook the dust from his 'body' and then turned towards Karel. Karel grinned slowly, then turned away, heading towards the jeep in the distance. He climbed into the driver's seat and turned over the ignition. He looked up in time to see the corpse taking seat beside him in the vehicle. After a moment, he pulled away, heading for the small village in the distance.

* * *

Karel shoved open the door to the empty, rundown home. Then, he casually entered, as if he owned the place. He seated himself in the chair at the end of the table, leaning forward thoughtfully. After a silent moment, the skeletal knight entered the building as well, slamming the door shut behind him. Karel looked up at him. "The Lux Veritatis aren't around," he said. "You can make yourself comfortable."

The knight remained stationary for a moment. Then, after a brief pause, his profile began to change as he shape-shifted into his true appearance. The eerie, corpse appearance diminished and was replaced with skin and facial features. His short, feather-brown hair fell over his sparkling green eyes, and his warm-toned skin complemented his rugged look. The former skeletal knight stood just less than six feet, and appeared to be nothing more than seventeen or eighteen years old. A sly grin crossed his face as he peered down at Karel. "And risk missing out on my fun?" he asked in a smooth, deep voice.

"You've had your fun," Karel said. "Now, it's time to get to work."

The boy sighed and seated himself at the table, kicking his feet up on the top. "_Work_? After I've been asleep in a coffin for thousands of years? I'd like to relax for a bit."

"And not in Lemuria?"

"Lemuria can wait," the boy said. "I can return anytime I'd like. Why go home when there are so many other interesting things to see here?"

Karel narrowed his eyes at him. "You seem to think quite freely for yourself…"

"Like any seventeen-year-old kid would do," he said with a grin.

"Very well, then," Karel said, rising. "I've restored you to your glory, given you back your name and profile. Now, you must help me."

"You sound a little suspicious for someone who seems to think of himself as noble and selfless," Siamak said casually.

"Time is of the essence," Karel explained. "At least it is for me."

"Very well," Siamak sighed. "You mentioned the Nephilim army. What about it?"

"My research with the Cabal and Eckhardt several years ago led me to believe that there still may be Nephilim hybrids in the Prague underground city," Karel explained.

"Prague?" Siamak asked. "Not here in Cappadocia, along with me?"

"You were all I needed in Turkey," Karel said.

"And you want to find them?" Siamak asked coolly.

"It is all I've wanted since the dawn of time," Karel responded.

"So what do you need _me_ to do?"

"To become the commander in chief," Karel said slyly. "To help me find the remaining hybrids and conquer the world with them."

"How does it benefit me?" Siamak asked casually.

"You don't seem too interested in returning to Lemuria…" Karel speculated. "What else could you want?"

"What I'm more interested in is the Lux Veritatis girl you presented to me earlier," he said. "If she is who you say she is, then she'll play a key role in both yours and my plans."

"And what is it you want with her?" Karel asked cautiously.

Siamak looked up at him with a casual stare, shrugging his shoulders in simplicity. "To take her powers, of course," he replied. "The tenth child will be more powerful than you could understand. Possibly even more powerful than you."

Karel glared at him. "We'll see that it doesn't happen," he said. "Which is exactly why _you _need to be the one to possess such powers."

"Don't worry about me," Siamak said, rising with a cool grin. "_I_ know how to manage. All I need is my sword and shield, and I'll be indestructible."

Karel's gaze fell hard upon the boy. "_Sword _and shield?" he asked.

Siamak eyed him. "Yes, both of them. I need the sword to open the portal to Lemuria. The shield is essentially useless."

Karel turned away, growing angry. "Wouldn't that have been nice to know…?"

"And judging by your reaction, you don't have it…?" Siamak said, folding his arms over his chest.

Karel turned to face him. "I could make one guess at who does," he replied.

Siamak let the rhetoric sink in, slowly dropping his arms. "The tenth child?" he asked.

"Her parents," he corrected him. "The ninth generation Montsegur brother, and his lover, the modern day world explorer extraordinaire, Lara Croft."

"Magnificent," Siamak chided. "It shouldn't be a problem. Just tell me where to find them."

"London, England," Karel replied. "You'll need to find the sword and the girl. Bring them both back, unharmed. And while you're there, you might as well rid us of her parents."

Siamak narrowed his eyes at Karel, grinning subtly. "I'll take care of it," he said.

* * *

**So what do you think of Siamak now? Guess he's got a few cards up his sleeve too, haha. Too bad for Karel, that damn shield is worthless. I couldn't help myself XD**

**Alright, like I said, Sunday/Monday, so long as my computer isn't screwing up!! See ya then!**


	5. Breaking In

**So you guys liked Siamak for the most part then, eh? Sweeeeet. **

**

* * *

  
**_The following evening, in London_

Lara kicked her legs up on the desk, flipping through the pages of the old brown book as she conducted some personal research on the Black Angel. Unfortunately, everything she found was stuff she already knew. Where was the stuff she _didn't _know?

With a sigh, she flipped through several more pages, keeping a sharp eye out for anything inconspicuous. She heard the door quietly open and looked up to see Kurtis entering. He closed the door behind him, then removed his gun from his holster, ejecting the clip to place beside it. "You can never be too careful," he said, seating himself across from Lara.

"Without a doubt," she agreed. "I'm trying to find more information on the Black Angel, but its history is as shallow as if it had never existed."

"That's the point," Kurtis said. "When the Lux Veritatis ancestors moved his body to Cappadocia, they were trying to get rid of any traces that could lead to him."

"In order to protect the world…" Lara added. "He doesn't honestly believe that the Lux Veritatis are the enemies, does he? Even despite what Karel is feeding to him…?"

"I don't know," Kurtis admitted. "Needless to say, he obviously doesn't think Emily is the enemy…"

"So we know he thinks she's his 'queen', but what does that mean? What does he want with her?"

"I don't know," Kurtis repeated, growing a bit frustrated. "It has something to do with Lemuria, I'm sure. And that's the last place we want him to take her."

Lara leaned forward thoughtfully. "Emily needs to be trained," she said. "Not just in physical combat, but in controlling her psychic powers as well. She's defenseless without proper training right now."

Kurtis nodded slowly. "She seems to be taking it on quite well, to say the least. It's all a matter of mind control."

"Which she doesn't have much of," Lara reminded him.

"I'll take care of it," he assured her.

Lara drew in a quiet sigh, offering him a subtle smile as she met his eyes. Then, she leaned forward, pulling his mouth towards hers. The kiss was interrupted by Alister shouting from downstairs. They sighed, and Kurtis dropped his head in frustration. Then, they rose to their feet and headed down the stairs to the tech room. Lara folded her arms over her chest. "What is it, Alister?" she asked impatiently.

"Take a look at this!" he said with excitement.

He stepped away from the table, and Lara's eyes grew wide. The sword lay atop the table, illuminating with a blue energy all around it. Lara stepped closer to it, looking up at Alister. "What happened?" she asked.

"I don't know!" Alister said. "It just started acting up all of a sudden!"

Lara eyed him suspiciously. "What did you touch?"

"Nothing!" he assured her. "Honestly! It did this all on its own!"

Lara continued to eye him suspiciously, then turned her attention to the sword. She reached towards it, but quickly moved back, shaking the burning sensation off of her hand. "That was unpleasant," she muttered. Kurtis stepped forward, extending his hand in its direction to lift it telepathically. His hand quivered as he attempted to emit his strength, but to his dismay, the sword remained stationary. He stepped back in confusion. "Unpleasant _and_ strange," he added. "I can't even lift it."

"Perhaps you're rusty," Alister said passively.

Kurtis glared in his direction. "Or perhaps the Black Angel is the only one who can control it. After all, it is _his_ sword…"

They turned their attention back to the weapon just in time to see it stop reacting. A puzzled look crossed Lara's face, and she reached forward, this time being able to take it into her grasp. She turned it over in her hand, eyeing it carefully. "Very strange…" she said. "It's the best idea that we hide it away. We wouldn't want anyone getting a hold of it, would we?"

"Absolutely not," Alister agreed. "But you've hardly spoken of your agenda, Lara. Where are we headed next?"

Lara returned the sword to the table and leaned against the wall. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "We have no real leads. As far as we know, Karel and the Black Angel are still in Cappadocia. We have no idea where they plan to go next, or even _what _they plan to do."

"Maybe not," Kurtis added, "but we sure can speculate."

Lara met his gaze, contemplating possibilities in her head. "All leads had seemed to point in the direction of Cappadocia, not just in reference to the Black Angel, but to the civilization of Nephilim hybrids as a whole. At least, that was how Karel and Eckhardt had put it."

"Maybe that's still where it all lies," Kurtis added.

"But maybe not," Lara said. She leaned away from the wall, holding her gaze with Kurtis.

He eyed her suspiciously. "What are you thinking?" he asked.

"I'm thinking that we should go back and do some damage control," Lara said. "You know – clean up the dust, make sure we turned over all of the stones."

Kurtis held her gaze, contemplating in his head. Then, he folded his arms over his chest. "You're not talking about the Strahov, are you?"

"Exactly," she said. "Back to Prague. What if we missed something there? What if there was more to the Strahov fortress than what met the eye?"

"There's bound to be security all over the place," Zip chipped in.

"When has that ever stopped us?" Lara reminded him.

Zip sighed. "So two tickets to Prague?" he asked.

"Absolutely," Lara said. "Book it for tomorrow afternoon."

"And…you're leaving Emma here again?" Alister asked nervously.

"What is it this time, Alister?" Lara sighed.

"Karel is bound to come looking for her," Alister said. "Or the Black Angel – or both! Do you really think it's a good idea to leave her here?"

"Don't question my integrity," Lara advised. "She's staying here." Lara scooped up the sword, looking it over cautiously. "I'm going to take this to the basement crypt and hide it away. Zip, can you have Emma come in and get ready for bed?"

"Sure thing, Lara," Zip said, rising from his seat.

Lara turned away towards the secret door, then turned back to face Kurtis. "Are you coming?" she asked. He sighed silently and followed after her. Lara pushed the hidden button on the wall which opened the trap door. Then, they descended into the darkness. Lara casually took hold of the flashlight on the shelf in the corner, turning it on to peer about the hallway as she handed the sword over to Kurtis.

"I didn't know the Croft Manor was so…secretive," Kurtis said, glancing about.

"It wouldn't be the _Croft _Manor without such surprises," Lara reminded him.

He chuckled a bit. "Ain't that the truth…?"

Lara approached one of the stone coffins along the back wall, feeling around for some type of button or lock. Her hand fell over spider webs and cold cement, then she reached the lock. She flipped it open, and the lid released, revealing the empty, hollow space within. Kurtis gently placed the sword into the coffin, then stepped back as Lara sealed it shut. She dusted her hands off as she stepped away. "That should do it, then. The only way to get down here is through the locks, and –"

"And it's not like Karel couldn't break through those," he said sarcastically.

Lara eyed him with a pleading look. "What else do you suggest?"

He sighed heavily, running his fingers through his hair as he stepped away. "I don't know," he muttered. Lara watched him cautiously as he headed back up the corridor to return to the main hallway. After a moment, she followed after him. "What are you not saying?" she asked.

He glanced over at her. "What do you mean?"

"Don't jerk me around, Kurtis," she warned. "I know you like the back of my hand – you're hiding something."

He stopped with a sigh, realizing she was right. "It's Emma," he admitted. "I don't…I don't want to leave her here."

Lara folded her arms over her chest. "Where do you suggest she go, then?" she asked, trying not to sound bitchy but factual. "There isn't a place on this earth safe from Karel and the Black Angel – not even…not even at our sides."

"That's what I'm afraid of," he muttered. "We can only fight them off so many times – our luck is going to run out eventually."

Lara dropped her head, thinking over their options. "She wouldn't be much safer if she went with us to Prague," she admitted quietly. "And for whatever reason, we haven't had any from Karel yet. Perhaps he and his lackey are scheming…?"

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" he asked rhetorically. He sighed, turning away from her and heading up the corridor. Lara watched as he disappeared from her vision, realizing that he was right, but also realizing there was nothing they could really do…

* * *

  
Emily ran as fast as she could along the blue paneled mat, then sprung into the air, vaulting forward to take hold of the horizontal metal bar. Her body lurched forward, then swung backwards. She quickly gripped the bar and leaned backwards, tucking her legs up over the bar and locking herself into place. Then, she released her grip, dangling from the bar, suspended by the strength of her legs which were bent at the knees in a forty-five degree angle. She let her arms drop as she gazed down at the wooden floor below, her long brown hair falling straight towards the floor. After a moment, she tucked her arms behind her head, then summoned all of her strength to pull her body forward into a sit-up position. She continued to repeat the action, counting the sit-ups as she did so.

"What exactly are you doing?" a voice called. Emily stopped her exercise and looked around as she dangled towards the floor. Zip stood leaned in the doorway, a curious grin on his face. Emily reached up to grip the bar with one hand, then released her locked-leg position so she could safely return to the floor. Then, she looked up at Zip. "Training," she said simply. "I figured it'd be a good idea in case any of those merks come around – or even Karel."

Zip chuckled a bit, heading in her direction. "I've always wondered why you haven't ever bothered to train in here," he said.

Emily shrugged, looking about Lara's home-built gym. "Do you honestly think I could reach any of the places in here?" she asked, looking up to the suspended metal plank in the air. "I'm not like my mother. The only thing I can reach is the horizontal pole."

Zip sighed. "It's getting late, Emma," he said. "Your mother wants you to head up and get ready for bed."

Emily removed the black fingerless gloves from her hands. "I'm tired anyway," she admitted. She trudged past Zip and through the door, past the small fountain and down the hallway to enter the grand hall. The house seemed empty – no one was around. She didn't see Winston, Alister, Lara, or Kurtis. As she headed up the stairs, she glanced towards the tech room. Zip seated himself inside as she stopped, leaning over the railing. "Are you…are you turning the security system on?"

"Of course I am," he assured her. "Don't worry, Emma. I've got it covered. I'll send your mom up when she comes in from the basement."

"Can you send my dad, too?" she asked nervously.

He looked up at her for a moment, then laughed a bit with confusion. "Alright," he said. "Will do."

Emily sighed as she trudged further up the stairs, glancing at the old grandfather clock that read 9:30 p.m. She pushed her door open, leaving it halfway shut. She quickly changed into her pajamas. Then, she entered her bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. She splashed the cool water over her face, giving herself a moment to think. Sure, they'd been home all day, been safe all day, but now that she was semi-alert – not at all like the last night – she couldn't stop thinking about Karel and the Black Angel. What if they came to the manor and tried to kidnap her again?

Emily switched the water valve off, reaching for a dry towel. Emily knew the Black Angel wouldn't hurt her – for whatever reason – but Karel was another story. And what if the Black Angel disregarded his own desires to serve Karel, and in turn, did to Emily whatever Karel told him to? _The Black Angel has free will, _she reminded herself. _He wouldn't listen to Karel when he could easily just overthrow him…_

She switched the light off, hoping that her rationalization was the truth. With a sigh, she climbed into her warm bed, pulling the covers over her. She hadn't been scared to go to sleep since she was a little kid. Now though, she was paranoid. She glanced about the room cautiously, pulling the covers tight against her neck so she could cautiously glance around. Then, she drew in a silent breath, closing her eyes, even though the light was still on.

Emily startled when she heard her door creaking open, and she jerked her head up to see who was entering. Her muscles relaxed upon the sight of her mother entering, and she breathed a quiet sigh of relief as Lara approached her bed. "You're all set, then?" she asked, seating herself on the edge of the bed.

Emily nodded. "I guess so," she said quietly.

Lara eyed her suspiciously. "Are you alright?"

Emily glanced past her, knowing she couldn't lie if she met her gaze. "I'm fine," she said. "Where's Dad?"

Lara and Emily glanced up as Kurtis entered the room, shutting the door behind him. "Everything alright?" he asked. "Zip said you wanted to talk to me…?"

"I just…" Emily said slowly. "I just wanted to say goodnight to you guys." She dodged Kurtis's gaze, but she could feel his hot glare on her. She fought to avoid his stare, turning towards her mother. "Well, I guess I'll just go to sleep then…" she said slowly.

Lara brushed the hair out of her eyes. "Sleep well, then, love," she said, kissing her on the forehead. She rose from the edge of the bed and brushed quietly past Kurtis. Emily turned away to face the wall, but didn't hear Kurtis leave. She glanced up in time to see him approaching the edge of her bed, seating himself where Lara had sat. She gazed up at him quizzically. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"You're afraid of Karel, aren't you?" he asked flatly.

Emily gazed down quickly. "No…" she said.

"You can't lie to me," he pointed out. "Not only am I psychic, you're a horrible liar."

Emily sighed. "Don't tell Mom. I don't want her to worry."

_Right, _Kurtis scoffed in his mind. _I'm more worried than she is._ "She'll be fine," he assured her. "And you?"

Emily shrugged. "I guess I'll be fine," she said. "I mean, if Karel wanted to get me, he could've done it already, right?"

Kurtis wanted to agree, but he felt the breath caught in his throat. He swallowed his lie and sighed, gazing down at the gold patterns on Emily's comforter. "Listen to me, Em," he said quietly. "As capable as Karel is, your mother and I are going to be here to protect you – understand?"

Emily nodded slowly. "But…"

"No buts," he stopped her. "Just go to sleep. We'll just be down the hall. If you need anything at all, come get us."

Emily swallowed her fear. "Alright," she said. "Are you guys going to bed right now?"

"Probably," he said. "Is that okay with you?" he grinned.

Emily didn't think it was funny. "I guess," she sighed. "Well, goodnight then…"

She quickly turned away, facing the wall opposite of him so he couldn't see the fear in her eyes. She heard him sigh quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be alright," he said softly. "I'll see you in the morning."

She heard him rise from the edge of the bed and leave the room, switching the light off. Emily cringed as the room darkened, then jerked into an upright position. "Leave the door open!" she called quickly.

Kurtis stopped for a moment, then turned away, leaving the door halfway cracked open. Emily sighed, facing the wall again, praying that sleep would overtake her soon.

* * *

  
Siamak gazed up at the huge mansion standing before him, the moon hiding behind the garden hedges in the back. _This must be it,_ he thought. He could feel it – the sword was here, and so was the tenth child. He drew in a deep breath, then moved forward towards the door. As he stepped closer, he could feel that a security system was activated. He stopped, gazing around, becoming acutely aware of the wires trekking discretely along the panels along the outside and inside of the house.

With a silent sigh, he reached both of his hands to the side. Then, he clenched his fists, his arms quivering as he telepathically destroyed the high-tech security system in an instant. He then reached a hand towards the doorknob, telekinetically dismantling it. The door opened inwardly on its hinges, and he casually stepped inside. _I have to hand it to these mortals,_ he thought. _They do try their best._

The inside of the manor was silent and dark. It was just after midnight, so the silence was expected. Siamak closed his eyes, trying to place in his mind where the sword was. He could feel its energy coming somewhere from beneath the house. He kept his mind trained on his objective, moving slowly forward as he felt energy growing stronger. He found himself approaching a stone wall. He tapped on it twice with his knuckles, hearing the hollow sound within. Then, he reached his hand forward, breaking the stone door from its hinges. He set it down quietly so as not to wake anyone, then entered past the demolished barricade.

Siamak followed the winding corridor deep into the crypt. He summoned the energy back to his mind – the sword was close. He stopped, standing just before a stone coffin. He reached his hand forward and removed the lid, revealing the blue, glowing weapon. A sly grin spread over his face as he reached forward, drawing the weapon into his hand to admire its entirety. "Just like I remember it," he said. Then, he strapped it over his shoulder, turning back towards the corridor to return to the main hallway.

He stopped just at the bottom of the stairs, slowly turning his gaze to the second story. The girl was beyond the door of the upper hall. Siamak quietly trekked up the stairs towards the door where he could feel the energy emitting most strongly. Then, he quietly opened it, stepping inside. He pulled the door shut behind him, then reached a hand over, removing the doorknob and locking it shut. _Wouldn't want anyone to interrupt us,_ he thought.

Siamak quietly approached the bedside, leaning over to examine the girl as she slept. He silently seated himself on the edge, taking in her features – her long brown hair, messy from slumber. The blue eyes he'd seen so much fear in when they'd been in Cappadocia. The soft complexion of her beautiful skin.

A subtle smile crossed his face as he stared down at her. He reached a hand up, gently stroking her cheek. She stirred, confusion overtaking her face before she even fully awakened. Then, when she looked up, her eyes grew wide, and she writhed away from him in fear, screaming. She climbed off the bed and backed away into the corner. Siamak gazed at her with confusion and frustration. "Be quiet!" he ordered. "We don't want them to hear us!"

"W-Who are you?" she asked fearfully. "What are you doing here?"

"My name is Siamak Lachesis," he said. "Though I'm sure you wouldn't recognize me in _this_ appearance…"

Her face knit into confusion. "Y-You're the Black Angel?"

He nodded slowly, then took a step forwards. "You have nothing to be afraid of," he assured her. "I'm here to take you home with me."

"Get back!" she demanded. "I'm not going anywhere with you!"

His face slowly changed from hopeful to a mixture of shock, irritation, and confusion. "And what else are you going to do?" he asked dryly. "Stay _here_ for the rest of your life? There are far better things that await you in Lemuria."

"I'm not going to Lemuria!" she said. "I don't even know why I'm here talking to you! You need to get out of here before my father comes and –"

"No one can stop me," he interrupted. "Not your mother, not your father…not even Karel."

Emily stared up at him fearfully in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"_I_ am the only one who can protect you from him," he said. "You _have_ to trust me in this." He stepped towards her. "If you come with me, together we can stop Karel."

"But why?" she asked quickly. "You work for him!"

Siamak held his gaze with her, then scoffed. "I almost forgot that," he muttered. Then he sighed quietly. "You wouldn't want harm falling over you, would you? Or your family?" Emily gazed away, knowing that to some extent, he was right. He _was_ possibly the only person who could keep her safe from Karel. But then, she remembered what her mother said – the Black Angel is a sleeping giant. She certainly wouldn't want to wake him. "I personally promise that nothing will happen to you – so long as you come with me."

"And if I don't?" Emily asked slowly.

He stepped threateningly closer to her. "Let's not find out what will happen if you choose that road," he warned. He reached a hand in her direction. "Come with me, Emily."

Emily gazed down at his hand, trying to think of what to do. Then, she quickly rose to her feet, bolting past him towards the door. He didn't seem to care, and then she found out why. As she reached the door, she found the knob missing, and the barricade sealed shut. He slowly approached her, the casual look on his face sending more fear up Emily's spine than the menacing look on Karel's face ever had. She did the last thing she could think to do – she began pounding on the door, screaming for her parents. Almost immediately, Siamak approached her, pulling her hands down roughly to her side and covering her mouth with his free hand. "Don't make this any harder on yourself!" he hissed. "I don't want to hurt your parents, but if they come in here, I'll have no choice!"

Suddenly, Emily heard banging on the door. Her parents had come to her cries for help. She heard the bang again, and again. Siamak glanced around, then dragged Emily across the room towards the window. She struggled to break free from his grip as he opened the window. For a young boy, he was certainly strong. _If only I had my lighter…_she thought. She remembered the time in France when she'd burned that Cabal follower's face with her hand. Emily quickly reached for Siamak's wrist, willing her mind to produce elemental energy. After a moment, he cried out in pain, releasing her as he staggered back. Emily rushed to the door just as Kurtis broke it down, a gun held in his hand towards the intruder. Lara stood just behind him, an assault rifle aimed towards Siamak's head.

Siamak eyed Kurtis angrily, drawing the sword from his back. Then, he swung the weapon in Kurtis's direction, sending a surge of blue energy his way. Kurtis quickly dodged it, then fired a shot from his gun at the Black Angel. Siamak staggered back, then gripped his chest where the bullet had entered. After a moment, he began to struggle for breath, shaking his vision clear. He reached his hands towards his head, groaning in pain. His profiles began to rapidly change from person to person, until he released a final cry of defeat and vanished into thin air, taking the sword with him.

Kurtis lowered his gun with shaking hands, thankful that he'd taken the time to reconstruct the bullet that Garin had made in France the first time he'd managed to fend Karel off. If it worked the way he hoped, Siamak would be teleported to some far-off location.

He entered the room, making sure there were no more threats, then holstered the gun. He turned towards his daughter. "You alright?" he asked quickly, examining her thoroughly to make sure she hadn't been hurt. Before he could speak another word, Emily dove into his arms for an embrace, shaking violently as she fought to keep herself from shedding tears of panic – and to keep herself from going into a panic attack.

Kurtis didn't know what to do. He'd never had to 'embrace' a kid before, let alone his own daughter. He knew, though, that she was scared, and that she needed some consolation from the one person who seemed to be her protector. After a moment, he wrapped his arms around her and held onto her tightly, gazing up at Lara just in time to see her lower the rifle with a look of confusion, fear, and hopelessness.

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**Whoa ho ho look at him GO!! Not quite what you expected, was it? Alright, I'll catch you guys on Sunday, cuz I'm going out of town this weekend!! =D**


	6. See All Sides

**Sorry about the delay, folks. Out-of-town business held me up longer than expected. But we're live once again! Read on!**

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**Lara placed a blanket over Emily's shoulders, then seated herself on the couch across from her daughter. Emily pulled the blanket close to her, drawing in a deep breath. Everyone was so serious, and nobody spoke a word. Kurtis was leaned forward, spinning his Chirugai on his finger. Alister stood before the fireplace, glancing from each person every few moments. Zip leaned back on the opposite couch, staring past the rest of his comrades. Emily drew in another silent breath. "He didn't hurt me," she said quietly, breaking the silence.

"It doesn't matter," Kurtis said flatly. "He was here."

Emily slowly gazed up at him. "He wanted me to go with him to Lemuria."

"We figured as much," Alister sighed. "What else did he say?"

"He kept promising me that he was the only person who could keep me safe from Karel."

"And it's true," Lara said. "It doesn't mean you trust him."

"I _don't_ trust him," Emily replied. "But…what are we supposed to do when he comes back?"

"Good question," Kurtis said angrily, rising to his feet. "It's the question of the year, I suppose…"

Emily hesitated. "Why does he want me to go to Lemuria so badly?"

"I don't know," Kurtis muttered. "But obviously, his motives are aside of Karel's."

"Do you…" Emily began slowly. "Do you think Garin knew something? Do you think he could help us?"

"Do you see him around here?" Kurtis asked irritably. "It doesn't matter anyway. He's dead – there's nothing we can do about it."

Emily dropped her head, feeling guilty for asking about her father's dead friend, and embarrassed that Kurtis had lashed out at her. She stared into the flickering fireplace as Kurtis seated himself again, spinning the Chirugai on his fingers once more. Then, she slowly looked up. "What if you went to Lemuria?" she asked timidly.

"Emily, stop asking questions," Kurtis said crossly.

"I'm just trying to help," she muttered in annoyance.

"Your help isn't helping," he argued.

"Well, sorry!" she said defensively. "I just thought –"

"Alright, everyone, relax," Alister put in. "I think I might have an idea, before everyone goes biting each other's heads off…"

Kurtis eyed him with irritability, but spared him from a lashing. "What is it?" he asked with a sigh.

"There obviously has to be a reason as to why Garin said he'd 'see you in Lemuria'," Alister began. "I believe it has something to do with the Sword of Light."

"Oh, right," Kurtis said dryly. "The legendary weapon that was so effective last time."

"You just didn't know how to use it," Alister protested. "Think of it this way – Lemuria is a mythical land. In actuality, it doesn't exist. It's like a dream – it seems real, but it certainly isn't."

"Oh, it was real," Kurtis muttered.

"You understand what I'm saying," Alister sighed. "It's tangible, but in a sense, it isn't. In that aspect, Karel obviously didn't die, and more so, it was because the sword was ineffective in a place with such…fragile context."

"You aren't making any sense," Kurtis said irritably.

"Lemuria isn't technically real!" he said. "Therefore, using the sword to kill Karel inside Lemuria didn't work!"

"So what do you suggest?" Kurtis asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"I suggest you go back to Lemuria and find the sword, then bring it back through the portal and use it against Karel here in reality."

"Yeah, because that'll be easy," Kurtis argued.

"Well, do you have any further ideas?" Alister challenged.

Kurtis turned away, clipping the Chirugai onto his belt with a heavy sigh. "No," he muttered. He knew he was irritable, and he knew he was behaving like a child throwing a temper tantrum, but the thought of going back to Lemuria – even for a few minutes – was enough to terrify him. He couldn't risk getting stuck in there again. If he did, he'd find a high cliff to jump off of and do just that. He couldn't lose Lara again, nor his daughter, nor anything else here in reality.

"I don't get what this sword is," Emily spoke up.

"The Sword of Light," Alister explained. "Several years ago, when Kurtis and the other Lux Veritatis first went into Lemuria, they located it in the belief that it would defeat Karel – it obviously didn't."

"Several years ago?" Emily asked. "Like how many years ago?"

Alister was ready to speak, but realized that the response might not be his place to say. He drew back and glanced towards Lara, who drew in a silent breath, eyeing her daughter with sadness. "Twelve years ago," she said softly.

Emily slowly turned from her mother to her father, who glanced away as soon as she looked to him. "Twelve years ago…" she said slowly. "That's where you were? That's where you'd been for all of my life?"

Kurtis turned to face her, regret and sorrow in his eyes. "You think I stayed there by choice?"

Emily dropped her gaze, then slowly turned to Lara. "Why didn't you ever tell me anything about my father?" she asked as her eyes teared.

"Emily, I didn't know where to begin," she said with a heavy heart. "And what's to say you would've believed me? It's such a far-off tale, even _I_ couldn't believe it."

"I deserved to know," she argued. "For twelve years, I wondered what it would be like to be like the other kids – to actually be able to celebrate Father's Day, or have someone to teach me how to play baseball, or drive a car…for twelve years! And you never bothered to mention _anything_ about him. I've always tried to mind my business about it, but I shouldn't have had to. I deserved to know about my father!"

"What did you expect of me?" Lara asked.

"The truth!" Emily said, close to shouting. "You've _always_ tried to shelter me from the world, and you've even hid me away from any knowledge I could've had about my father! You try to help me to lead a normal life, but does that sound normal to you?"

"You're just a child," Lara argued. "You couldn't possibly understand the entire spectrum of the situation."

"You were just being selfish!" Emily argued. "Why else would you have fought so hard to keep him from me?"

"_Selfish_?" Lara asked, taken aback. "Trying to protect you is selfish?"

"It's not protection," Emily argued. "It's you thinking that I'm just a kid. Just because I'm twelve doesn't mean I couldn't understand what was going on. I was pretty aware of the fact that for whatever reason, my father wasn't around."

"You have no idea, Emily," Lara said. "Do you think it was easy for me to hold back such information from you? Do you think I wanted to do so?"

"Stop acting like it was such a tragedy for _you_!" Emily said, tears streaming down her face. "You could've kept him alive in heart and spirit, but you chose not to! Instead, you got rid of him completely! You pushed him out of your own life, and then out of mine! That wasn't your choice to make!"

"You couldn't possibly understand," Lara argued. "You weren't there when I had to virtually give up _everything _I loved and move on. You couldn't understand it at all. You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yes, I do," Emily said coldly. "You couldn't get what you wanted, so you took it away from me, too."

Lara reached a hand in the air, coming very close to slapping Emily across the face. Emily cringed away for a moment, half-expecting the hit to come her way. Then, Lara's better senses overtook her. She drew her hand down slowly, tears coming to her eyes. "No," she said quietly. "Let's not do anything we'd regret."

"It's too late for that, Mom," Emily said. "After all these years, it's too late. Now he's leaving again, and he's not coming back, and _I'll_ never get to know what it's like to have a father." She held her gaze with Lara for a moment, then turned away, dropping the blanket around her shoulders to the floor. She turned and headed down the main hallway and out the front door.

Emily stumbled into the cold outdoors, a light snow beginning to fall – the first snow of the season. She looked up to the sky as tears continued to pour down her cheeks, then she bolted forward towards the gardens, preparing to run as far away from the house as she could get. She wasn't even quite sure as to why she'd reacted the way she did. It was the mere thought of knowing that her father had been gone for her entire life, and her mother hadn't spoken one word of it. Perhaps this argument was the product of all the pent-up emotions she'd held inside since she was old enough to realize she was without a father.

Emily stopped running once she reached the outside of the hedge maze, staring up at the two sycamores planted so perfectly apart. Then, she glanced down, noticing a small headstone. She eyed it suspiciously, then bent down, brushing the snow away from it. _Kurtis Trent Montsegur. Always in our hearts._

How had she never seen this before? It had to have been here for twelve years. Of course, she never trekked this way – it was a rather secluded area of the mansion. Her fingertips gently fell over the words, and she felt more tears erupting, sobbing at the idea that her mother _had_ intentionally withheld all the information about her father from her. She tucked her legs forward and leaned into her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. _All I wanted was my father,_ she thought.

For a fleeting moment, Emily thought she'd been a bit irrational. Then again, maybe not. If Kurtis went into Lemuria, he wouldn't come back – just like last time, when he'd skipped out on the first twelve years of her life. She wouldn't see him again, she would never get to experience any of those father-daughter moments she'd seen in movies and longed for. He was leaving, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. _Maybe he wants to leave, _Emily thought. _Maybe he doesn't even care._ She knew that was a crazy thought, but what if? The thought alone made her cry even harder. She sat where she was for several minutes, thinking over and over about the possibilities of what could happen with her father, her mother, and herself.

Then, Emily's senses became alert. She looked up quickly, hearing scuffles and sounds behind her. She quickly glanced around, slowly rising to her feet. Someone was around. She balled her hands into fists, glancing warily about the area. She regretted not taking hold of another lighter sooner. Suddenly, she saw several mercenaries emerge from the shadows, holding rifles in her direction. She took a step away, but knew from experience that there was nowhere to run. "Hands on your head," one of the men said.

A thousand thoughts began to race through her mind. With a frustrated sigh, Emily slowly began to raise her hands. Then, once they reached halfway, she emitted surges of pyrokinetic energy, knocking the mercenaries backwards. She quickly turned away, bolting towards the house. _I never should've left,_ she thought.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she ran as quickly as she could, but within moments, she felt a sharp sting at her back, and her legs became heavy. She stopped running as her vision blackened. Emily reached around to remove the metal dark stuck into her lower back. _A tranquilizer? _she thought. Before she could think further, she felt light-headedness overtaking her, and she fell to the ground unconscious.

* * *

  
Lara watched as Emily headed away towards the front door. She knew she should stop her, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. She closed her eyes, a mixture of embarrassment, atonement, and confusion overtaking her. She'd never heard her daughter speak at her so strongly before, and it was enough to stop even Lara Croft in her tracks.

Alister and Zip had respectfully backed out of the room and retired to their own rooms as soon as Emily began shouting, but Kurtis remained in place the entire time. Lara couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes. She turned away towards the fireplace as tears fell across her cheeks. _Apparently I'm the world's worst mother, and the world's worst…wife…?_ She didn't know what she would be considered to Kurtis, and even more, she figured there wasn't even potential for it – not after this evening.

She heard Kurtis quietly approaching just behind her. "I don't need to hear it from you, too," she muttered quickly. "I already know you second Emily's opinion."

Kurtis sighed quietly. "I wasn't going to say anything of the sort," he said.

"Right, you've said it enough before," she said angrily.

"She's upset, Lara," Kurtis said softly. "She has a right to be. That has nothing to do with me and what I feel."

"What does it matter?" Lara asked. "She's right – you're going to Lemuria, and you likely won't return."

"Hey," he said firmly. He turned her by the shoulder so she would face him, keeping his hands firmly planted at her arms. "Don't talk like that," he ordered. "I'm coming back."

"What makes you think that?" she said as the tears continued to pour over her cheeks. "How do you know you won't –"

"Stop," he ordered. He held his gaze with her for a moment, then leaned in towards her, kissing her slowly. He pulled away, staring into her eyes for a moment. She stared up into his eyes with desire and confusion. Then, she reached for his mouth, kissing him with ferocity. He pushed her towards the wall, pushing her hands over her head as he began to trail kisses over her mouth, neck, and chest. The last thing either of them had expected was for such a fit of rage to turn into such a fierce lust for passion.

He continued to kiss her as she reached around her back, trying to steady herself as she pushed the door behind them open. They entered into the dark guest room as Kurtis passively kicked the door shut behind him. He'd never lusted for Lara in such a way as this before – he'd always been propelled by a desire for controlled passion, but for a change, he felt a fleeting need within himself to have her like never before, as if his animal instincts were erupting within. He wasn't even quite sure why – perhaps it had been seeing her in her most downtrodden moment which urged him to counteract with intensity and vigor, not to mention the fact that he wanted to forget about the argument between mother and daughter moments before. He'd been a bystander, sure, but all of the third-person references to his presence had made him feel so…hollow, nonexistent. He needed to remember that he was still alive.

He pushed her against the wall, settling her atop the bookshelf as they roughly knocked the knick-knacks from the top and sent them to the floor. He ran his hands along her bare arms and across the silk of her short black nightgown. She arched into him as his hands reached her thighs, pushing the gown up along her legs, his fingertips running across the soft skin of her body as he leaned his mouth close to hers. He was well-prepared to have her right then and there, but something didn't feel right in the back of his mind. He slowly pulled away from Lara, a slight burning feeling reaching through his brain.

"What's wrong?" Lara breathed, half-confused as Kurtis pulled away, yet feeling more teased than anything else. As his hands slipped away from her, she felt the pleasurable sensation throughout her body leave, returning her to her senses. Kurtis reached towards his head, shaking his vision clear as if a headache was coming along. He closed his eyes tightly, cringing as the sharp pain continued to echo through his mind. Then, he turned towards Lara. "It's Emily," he said quickly.

All desires for passion and intimacy disappeared within an instant as they quickly bolted from the room and through the main hallway, grabbing a few firearms along the way. As soon as they set foot outside, they saw a jeep in the distance pulling away quickly. Kurtis lifted his gun in its direction, ready to fire, despite the fact that it was several hundred yards away. He cursed as he dropped his gun, angry at the defeat, but even angrier and more afraid that his daughter had been kidnapped – again.

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**Such a cliched way for Emily to be kidnapped...oh well. And she finally gave Lara the lashing-out she felt she deserved. **

**I'll catch you guys on Sunday! =D Thanks for the reviews thus far!  
**


	7. A New Leader

**Alright. From now on, updates are going to be always on Mondays. It's easiest to get to them with this hectic lifestyle that I live, haha. Read on!**

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**Emily slowly stirred, groaning as the blackness of her vision eventually faded and cleared up. She blinked several times until she was fully awake, granted, the throbbing in her head was still ever-present. She reached her hand up to the ache, lightheadedness rushing through her body. She shook her head to clear her vision entirely, glancing about the dingy room she'd been imprisoned in.

_Where am I? _she thought wearily. A single hanging light from the ceiling illuminated the room. There was a heavy, algae-green door in the back corner, and the floor was paneled with light green and white tiles. The room was completely empty except for Emily.

Emily drew in a deep breath, but found herself coughing from her dry throat. She reached her hand up to her neck, cringing as she swallowed. _I've got to get out of here,_ she thought quickly. She jerked her head up when she heard the door rattling, indicating someone entering. She clenched her fist, anger overtaking her being at the thought of coming face-to-face with Karel.

When the door opened, however, she didn't see Karel – she saw Siamak. She wasn't sure why, but she became even angrier. "What do _you_ want?" she muttered angrily. Siamak pushed the door shut behind him, folding his arms over his chest. "I'm here to help you," he replied.

"Yeah, right!" she retaliated. "You put me in here – why would you help me?"

"_I_ didn't put you in here," he argued. "I'm just here to supervise."

"As if that makes it better," she muttered.

Siamak sighed, glancing back towards the door as if he expected someone to come through. Then, he turned and faced Emily. "Do you want my help or not?" he asked.

"No," she said quickly. "I want you to leave me alone."

"Fine," he muttered. "If you don't want to see your parents again, then that's your choice."

Siamak turned away towards the door as Emily glanced up quickly. "Wait!" she protested. He stopped, his hand on the doorknob. Then, he slowly turned to face her. She sighed quietly, dropping her head in defeat. "I…" she said slowly. She drew in a deep breath. "What do I have to do?"

Siamak slowly approached her, his shadow towering over her. Sure, he was just a young boy of seventeen years, but his brute strength and reputation made Emily afraid – not to mention the fact that he _was_ rather good-looking. Emily summoned her strength and looked up into his eyes as her own teared up. Siamak bent down near her. "I'm not here to hurt you," he said. "You'll have to trust me if you want to make it out alive."

"But why should I?" she asked. "You already tried to kidnap me and kill my parents…"

"Are you going to argue with me or listen to what I have to say?" he asked impatiently.

Emily sighed. "Sorry," she muttered.

"Karel wants me to kill you," he said. "But I'm not going to."

Emily's stomach dropped, and she swallowed to keep her fear at bay. "Why?" she asked nervously.

"There's no need to," he said. "But I _am _going to need your powers."

Emily's fear turned to anger. "You're tricking me!"

"I'm not," he assured her. "Like I said, just trust me."

He reached forward, gripping her hand between his hands. She eyed him angrily and jerked her hand away. "No way," she said coldly.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Have it your way, then," he said flatly. He rose to his feet, heading towards the door. Just as he opened it, several mercenaries stepped through the door. They approached Emily and dragged her to her feet, shoving her through the door. She sent a death-glare to Siamak, then looked away, refusing to give him any satisfaction of her defeat.

This wasn't the first time she was sure that she was going to die, and it wasn't the first time that she didn't care. She didn't have anything to return to. Her mother hated her, and probably her father, too. She was going to lose her powers, and then be murdered by one of these freaks. She had nothing to hold onto. Instead of fearfully and submissively following along, she jerked her body against the mercenaries' grips on her arm, protesting as much as she could. She wouldn't die letting them have the upper hand.

They dragged her down the hallway and through one of the doors, entering into a large, dark room. There were several pillars in the corners of the room, leading to a second-level plank above. Suspended at least one hundred feet overhead was a small chamber with wires inside of it. Emily's fearlessness began to sink away at the creepy sight, knowing that the weird chamber in the air was likely for her.

A noise was heard in the distance, and Karel emerged from the hallway, accompanied by several Cabal followers. Siamak emerged from behind the group of mercenaries managing Emily, slowly approaching Karel before him. Karel approached Emily, his hands clasped casually before him. "I'm glad to see you could be here for the show," he said. "I trust you're ready to give your debut…?"

Emily glared up at him. "Go to hell," she said icily.

Karel glared at her, then nodded towards the merks. They shoved her forward, then pushed her onto her knees. Siamak approached Karel's side, standing before the young girl. Siamak slowly stepped forward, extending a hand in her direction. His palm touched her forehead. She jerked about, fighting to escape his grip, but the mercenaries held her still. After a moment, she felt a jerking motion, and then a surge of pain in her brain. _He's stealing my powers, _she thought angrily. She felt her energy slowly seeping away. After what seemed an eternity, he removed his hand from her forehead, stepping away. He reached his hand forward, watching as the orange energy surged through his arm. Then, he turned towards Karel. An evil grin spread across his face. "It's done, then," Karel said. He approached Emily. "She's of no use to us anymore."

One of the Cabal followers approached a pillar in the distance and pulled the small hand lever, lowering the airlock from above until it reached the ground. The small door to the chamber opened, and Karel turned towards Siamak. "Kill her quickly," he said. "Then make your way into the airlock. We have work to do."

Siamak glared at him as he turned away. He stared down at Emily as she closed her eyes, realizing death was finally around the corner. Then, Siamak reached his hand out, stopping Karel in his tracks. Karel was strong enough to break free, but he turned to face Siamak angrily. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked.

"Doing what you can't do," Siamak said.

Karel slowly stepped forward, his fist glowing with green energy. "There's too much spirit in you for your own good," he muttered. He attacked Siamak with the energy glowing in his hand, but the energy deflected to the side, instantly killing the mercenaries standing around – Siamak hadn't even needed to lift a finger. Then, he lifted a hand, sending his own energy towards Karel, knocking him backwards towards the airlock. He slowly removed the sword strapped on his back, approaching Karel as he struggled to his feet. Then, he shoved the sword forward through Karel's gut, pushing him against the glass of the airlock. "There's too much arrogance in you for your own good," Siamak countered.

Karel struggled for breath, reaching his hands forward to touch the sharp edges of the sword. Siamak glared into his eyes, then pushed him forward in the airlock. Then, he sealed the chamber shut. Karel slumped forward against the glass, reaching his fingers forward as he struggled to stay alive. "You seem to be so fond of Lemuria," Siamak said, strapping the sword onto his back. "Why don't _you _go there?"

Siamak turned towards the pillar in the distance, outstretching his arm to activate the lever. The airlock returned to the ceiling. Then, Siamak reached towards another lever, and the panel around the chamber in the ceiling closed around the airlock, activating a surge of electrical energy. Siamak stared up at the airlock. "Good riddance," he muttered. He turned around to face the Cabal followers, who stared on in uncertainty. "You work for me now," he declared.

One of the Cabal followers stepped forward. "What about Karel?" he asked cautiously.

"He's done away with," Siamak said simply. "It's no longer our concern."

"But the master's work must be followed!" he protested.

"Your _master _proved to be incapable," Siamak argued. "I have better plans for you."

"What about the Nephilim army?"

"Forget about it," Siamak said. "Lemuria has better things awaiting us."

"You can't do this," he argued. "You can't change the plans!"

"Oh, can't I?" Siamak challenged. He approached the follower, staring deep into his eyes. Then, he reached his hand forward, surging a ball of green energy his way, killing him instantly. Siamak turned to face the other followers, outstretching his arms. They cowered backwards, as if expecting him to attack them as well. "Anyone else have any points to make?" he asked. No one responded. They glanced back and forth between each other, dumbfounded. Siamak grinned dryly. "Good," he said.

Emily stared forward, too shocked to move. She couldn't believe what had happened. Siamak had turned on Karel – hadn't he been working for him? Emily stared up at the sparks coming from the airlock suspended in the air. Was Karel still in there? Siamak approached Emily, standing before her. She stared up at him cautiously. "Is he…is he dead?" she asked nervously.

"He's taken care of," he said. Emily wasn't sure if she was afraid of him, or thankful to him. She was far too confused over the situation. Siamak reached his hand forward, indicating she should take it. "It's alright, Emily," he said.

She stared at his hand, then looked up into his eyes. "You…you stole my powers," she said.

"I didn't," he argued. "I stole some of your energy. Your powers are still intact."

"But you said you were going to take them…"

"I had to rile you up somehow," he explained. "If you walked in here trusting me, Karel would've become suspicious."

Emily wasn't sure whether or not this boy could be trusted. He'd tricked both her and Karel – clearly, he had his own motives. Could it do something with Lemuria? _Perhaps if I pretend to go along with him, I can turn the tables,_ she thought. _Then again…that could be trouble._ She wasn't sure what she should do. She knew what her mother would tell her – but she wasn't her mother, and her mother wasn't there. She needed to think on her own two feet for a change. Emily continued to stare up at him. "What are you going to do now?" she asked.

"I'm going to Lemuria," he said. "And you're coming with me."

Emily shook her head. "I don't want to," she protested. "I've heard stories – my father was trapped there for twelve years."

"Your father can't control Lemuria like I can," he protested.

"But what about my parents?" she asked fearfully. "I want to see them again!"

Siamak drew in a silent breath. "Everything will work out the way it should. Once I rejuvenate the sword…" She expected him to finish, but he didn't. He merely stared into her eyes, keeping his hand extended forward. Emily drew in a deep breath. _I'm going to kick myself for this later,_ she thought regretfully. She reached forward and took his hand, rising to her feet. After a moment, the Cabal followers approached Siamak cautiously. "What are your plans now, Master?" one asked.

Siamak eyed him. "Make sure the Strahov is secure," he said. "We wouldn't want anyone getting in…or out."

Emily slowly looked to the floor as a shudder ran up her spine. _Get me out of here,_ she thought. She fought to maintain control and seem like she trusted this boy, but in reality, she was terrified standing by his side.

The Cabal followers dispersed to tend to their duties. Siamak turned to Emily. "We'll be here for a while," he told her. "Until it's time to leave, I'll trust you'll behave yourself." Two men approached Emily's side and took her by the arms, likely to take her down the hall to another room to be locked away in. She glared up at Siamak. "You said –"

"That I'd take care of you," he finished. "Don't question me. Just do as I say." He nodded to her captors. "Take her," he instructed.

* * *

  
**Well...let's see how that turns out with Siamak next Monday! Happy reading everyone!**


	8. Idle

**Back again, on Monday as promised. See how much easier it was? :)**

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* * *

  
**Kurtis leaned forward in his seat in the helicopter, spinning the Chirugai over and over again on his finger. This was the last place on earth he'd ever wanted to return. Madagascar held such terrible memories, he wouldn't even think twice about making it a vacation stop in the future. He wanted to do this and get the hell out – that was it. He drew in a silent, deep breath, closing his eyes as he leaned forward. _God, help me,_ he begged. _If I get trapped in Lemuria again_...The thought alone made him nauseous, and the jerking motion of the helicopter wasn't helping at all.

Kurtis startled as he felt Lara's hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her with weary eyes as she offered a weak smile of solace. She wanted to tell him that all would be alright, but even she couldn't guarantee it – she was just as afraid as he was. Thousands of thoughts, worries, concerns, and fears rushed through their minds simultaneously. Was Emily okay? Where was Karel? Where was Siamak? What happened to Garin? Would the portal be open? Had Lemuria changed at all in the past few weeks? Would Kurtis be able to get in, and even more, get out?

The helicopter slowly descended to the ground, dropping them off at the eastern edge of the peninsula of Toamasina. Kurtis drew in a heavy breath, rising to his feet as he gripped the overhead railing. Lara climbed out of the chopper first, then was followed by Kurtis. They stared forward at the small, temple-like structure standing before them, knowing the portal lay just within. Lara drew in a deep breath, facing Kurtis. "Shall we go in?" she asked, trying to remain calm.

Kurtis continued to stare forward, then started moving, as numb as he was. His entire being cradled the fear he was already experiencing as he stepped closer and closer to the temple, descending the path into its depths. He wasn't even sure _how_ he was going to open the portal, but he knew there had to be some way.

His entire body tensed once they rounded the corner and entered the temple where the portal had been opened. There was nothing there this time, but Kurtis was still on the edge. He and Lara paced about the room, trying to find a way to activate this hidden portal. Lara tapped into her headset. "Alister, how do we open the portal?"

"I'm not sure, actually," he admitted. "I'd hoped Kurtis would've had some ideas…"

"Without the daggers, what can we do?" she speculated.

"The daggers were composed of heavy psychic energy…" Alister said slowly. "Perhaps…perhaps Kurtis can use –"

"The Chirugai," Lara finished. She turned towards Kurtis. "Is there any way the Chirugai could open the portal?"

He thought about it for a moment, then removed the weapon from his belt. He activated it and let it float about the room, illuminating the darkness. He remained in place for a moment, apparently thinking over the possibilities. Then, the Chirugai began to spin faster and faster around the room, with lightning speed. Lara watched carefully, then marveled at the sight before her as the portal began to reveal itself in the wake of the Chirugai's flowing energy. She grinned subtly at Kurtis's accomplishment, but the smile faded when she saw the fear in his eyes.

A thousand thoughts were racing through his mind – she could easily see it. He met her gaze and held it for a moment, the Chirugai still rushing about the room. Then, they both stepped forward, eagerly meeting each other's embrace, and kissing with a ferocious passion. Lara wrapped her arms around his neck as he touched his forehead to hers, closing his eyes as if in the middle of a silent prayer. "I don't want to leave you," he whispered.

Lara tightened her grip around his neck, pulling herself as close to him as she could get. She could feel his heart pounding with anxiety, and could feel his raspy breath against her mouth. _If I could do it for you, I would,_ she thought. There were so many things she wanted to say to him – Don't leave. Come back once you're done. Don't be afraid. It's going to be alright. Nothing was adequate enough. They were all things she _wanted _to say, but felt she had no place to speak them at all.

After a moment, Kurtis pulled away from her, then turned towards the portal with a heavy heart. He drew in a deep breath, stepping as close to the energy as he could get. Then, with lightning speed, he reached his hand up to retrieve the Chirugai, and quickly stepped through the portal.

Once he disappeared, the portal disappeared with him. _No,_ Lara thought fearfully. _Come back!_ She rushed forward, reaching through the air, as if she could will the portal to return. _You'd better not leave me,_ she thought as tears slowly came to her eyes.

* * *

  
Kurtis quickly turned around, reaching his hand out as if he could simply step back through reality. The portal had closed. Nausea began to creep into his stomach. Here he was again, in the damned realm of Lemuria. He might as well have been in the tenth circle of Hell. He clipped his Chirugai onto his belt, clenching his fists at his side. Strangely enough, the place looked different. The trippy lights and colors were gone. He was surrounded by a black void below, above, and before him, yet stood on a dirt path. He exhaled relief for a moment, but knew it wasn't over.

After a moment, he stepped forward, only to see a small, blue mist of energy floating his way. He stepped back cautiously as it came closer, but relaxed as it merely stopped before him. _It wants me to follow it…_he thought. He slowly stepped forward as the elemental moved further down the path. Kurtis followed it down the winding path to a place he hadn't seen in Lemuria before. The apparition led him through a narrow corridor, and then into a large room. Then, it disappeared. Kurtis glanced around warily, unsure of what to expect. He startled at the sound of a voice, seemingly echoing through the room. "Glad you're here," it said.

Kurtis's face knit into confusion. "Garin?" he asked. From the darkness before him, he could see the silhouette of a figure emerging. As it drew closer, Kurtis relaxed at the sight of his lost Lux Veritatis brother. "How'd you manage to get in?" Garin asked, a soft smile on his face.

"The Chirugai," he said. "And some help from Lara."

He chuckled a bit. "The unstoppable duo," he said.

Kurtis glanced about the room cautiously, then dropped his gaze back on Garin. "Are you real?" he asked.

"I'm…" he said slowly. Garin sighed. "I'm dead, but I stayed behind to help you."

"Yeah, Emily said something about that…"

"I'm assuming you already have an idea as to why you're here…?"

"The Sword of Light," Kurtis said. "You knew about it, didn't you?"

Garin nodded. "I thought _I _could get to it and leave you out of it. I didn't want you to have to come back to this God-forsaken place, though now, it's obviously not an option."

"You should've told us," Kurtis said.

"It was for your protection," Garin explained. "I'm sorry for what I didn't do, but you must know, it was all supposed to work out."

"_Supposed _to," Kurtis muttered. "And it didn't, did it?"

Garin dropped his head, feeling guilty. Then, he looked back up at Kurtis. "It's the only thing that can stop the Black Angel."

"We figured that out," Kurtis said. "Where is it?"

Garin slowly lowered his head, and Kurtis caught the glimpse of another figure emerging from the darkness. His eyes turned towards the figure's direction as Kurtis looked up to see – Karel?

Kurtis's fists balled at his side, and his glare fell hard upon the enemy. He quickly removed his Chirugai and sent it forward to slice Karel's throat. The Chirugai merely went through him, falling limp behind the holographic image. "It seems that once again you're in a predicament where you can't kill me," Karel sighed.

Kurtis summoned the Chirugai back into his grasp, then returned it to his belt. "That won't last long." He turned to Garin. "So you two are having a little party in here?"

"He's harmless in here," Garin said, eyeing Karel.

"Then he's not dead?" Kurtis asked.

"Your friend, Siamak Lachesis, sent me here," Karel muttered angrily.

Kurtis couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, how's that for irony? Look how the tables have turned."

"Irony indeed," Karel agreed.

"So how long will he stay locked up like this?" Kurtis asked Garin, keeping his hateful glare on Karel.

Garin shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. "It's a lot more peaceful out there, though, knowing Karel's trapped in here and can't wreak any havoc."

"If peaceful is what you call it," Karel chipped in. "The Black Angel is twice as dangerous as I am."

"And that must really hurt, having to admit that, right?" Kurtis asked, a sly grin on his face.

Karel glared at him angrily. "Just remember…it's _your_ daughter who's stuck in his clutches."

Kurtis balled his fist at his side. "Just tell me what I need to know."

"Siamak has no desire to rebreed the Nephilim race," Karel explained. "He wants to return to Lemuria with the girl and rule from here, just like he'd done thousands of years ago. And do you know why?"

"Enlighten me," Kurtis muttered.

"If Siamak rules Lemuria, he'll have complete control over _all_ psychics. He can only rule Lemuria with the Sword of Light at his side."

"Then why does he want Emily so badly?" Kurtis challenged.

"She is the tenth child of the Montsegur lineage," Karel said. "She'll make him twice as powerful." A sly grin crossed his face. "Not to mention the fact that he's a teenage boy – of course, he has his true underlying intentions…"

Kurtis's anger exploded, and he dived forward to tackle Karel. He fell through Karel's figure and crumbled to his hands and knees on the other side, glaring up at the bastard before him who stared down with a challenging smirk. Kurtis slowly rose to his feet. "Don't talk about my daughter," he ordered in a low voice.

"It's not me you should fear having advantage over her," Karel said simply. "It's Siamak."

"That's enough!" Garin interrupted. He turned to Kurtis. "He's just taking the shots he can get while he's trapped in here with nothing to destroy and no one to kill. Pay him no mind, Kurtis."

Kurtis knew Garin was right – for once, Karel was powerless. Well, powerless, outside of the manipulative comments he made about Emily and everything else. Karel was only as powerful as they allowed him to be. Kurtis met Karel's evil smirk, then faced Garin. "So what do I have to do now?"

"Take the sword with you," Garin said. "Leave Lemuria, and find the Black Angel. Kill him."

Karel stepped forward, removing the sword from the strap over his back. He extended it towards Kurtis, waiting for him to take it. After a moment, Kuris took the weapon from Karel's hand and strapped it over his own back. "Where is Siamak?" Kurtis demanded.

"In the Strahov fortress," Karel said. "You should hurry there if you'd like to save precious Emily."

Kurtis glared at him. "When you get out of here, I'm going to kill you slowly," he said coldly.

"If you're fortunate enough to still be alive when I get out of here," Karel countered, "I'll make sure you suffer honorably for your nobility."

"Hollow promises," Kurtis commented. He turned towards Garin. "How do I get out of here?"

"Follow the elemental," Garin instructed. "It will lead you to the exit."

"Will you be okay in here?" Kurtis asked, glancing Karel's way.

"I'm leaving," Garin said. "I was only waiting for you. He can sit here by himself in timeout and think about what he's done."

"Yeah, it _does_ get pretty lonely in here," Kurtis said hollowly, directing the comment towards Karel.

Kurtis turned away, pushing aside the menacing thoughts he wanted to turn into actions to exact upon Karel. He followed the blue elemental as it moved forward. "Send Lady Croft my regards," Karel commented. Kurtis stopped, slowly facing the voice. His stomach dropped when he realized Garin had already left. It was just Kurtis and Karel in Lemuria, like it had been for twelve years. _He's harmless,_ Kurtis tried to remember. _He can't hurt me._

Kurtis faced away from Karel, then continued forward, following the energy as it floated down the corridor and towards the exit.

* * *

  
**How much should we trust Karel? I guess we'll find out!! =D See you all on Monday!**


	9. Back to the Strahov

**Sorry it's late on Monday, guys. School and work keeps me busy these days =P**

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* * *

  
**Lara paced about outside where the portal _should_ be. She waited – and waited, and waited. It had been at least an hour now, which translated to half-an-hour in Lemuria. _He's going to be okay,_ she thought nervously. _He'll be back any second…_

Then, she heard a noise behind her. She looked up, and her heart soared at the sight of the portal returning to existence. She saw activity beyond it, then saw the figure of a man approaching. She stepped closer, trying to draw in a clear look. Then suddenly, Kurtis stumbled through the portal, falling to the ground. Lara stepped backwards, breathing a sigh of relief as Kurtis lay wearily on the ground before her. She bent down near him, a relieved grin crossing her face. "I take it things went okay?" she asked, leaning over him as she placed a soft hand over his abdomen.

Kurtis chuckled, lifting the Sword of Light before him. "No problem," he said with a grin. He sat up, then rose to his feet, handing the weapon over to Lara so she could examine it. "It's quite magnificent," she said, turning the blade over in her hand. "This is what all the fuss has been about…"

"I ran into Garin inside," he said. "And Karel."

Lara looked up at him abruptly. "What?"

"Apparently Siamak banished him there," Kurtis explained. "I don't know how long that will last, though."

"So Emily is stuck in Siamak's hands?" she asked quickly. "She's left with the Black Angel?"

"You sound almost as if you'd prefer her being with Karel," Kurtis commented.

"Of course not," she snapped. "I don't prefer that she be with _anyone _besides us."

"Karel said they're in the Strahov," he said.

"And why should we trust him?"

"Because the Black Angel is the only thing standing in his way," he said. "Right now, as painful as it is to admit, Karel's on our side."

"At least so long as he's immobile," she scoffed.

"Right," Kurtis agreed. "Friends close, enemies closer."

"So what does Siamak want with her, then?" Lara asked, returning the sword to him.

Kurtis strapped the sword over his back, then moved through the exit with Lara. "She'll make him powerful," he explained. "That's what Karel said. I don't know if that means he plans to steal her powers, or if he just thinks she'll go along with his plans. Regardless, he _wants_ her and he _needs_ the Sword of Light to rule Lemuria."

"Why would he want that?" Lara asked.

"Because once he rules over Lemuria, he rules over all the psychics," Kurtis explained.

"And the Sword of Light can stop him?"

"Yeah," Kurtis replied. "Ironic how it's both his kryptonite and his miracle drug."

"Ironic indeed," she agreed. "How exactly are we supposed to get into the Strahov if Siamak is guarding it inside-out?"

"We always find a way," Kurtis reminded her. "We just have to protect the sword. If it falls into Siamak's hands, we're screwed."

"That's promising," Lara muttered. She tapped into her headset. "Are you boys hearing all of this?"

"Crystal clear," Alister replied. "Zip's already got a private plane in bound to pick you up and take you to Prague. We loaded it up with choice-weapons and all that jazz."

"Wonderful," Lara praised. "Getting into the Strahov is going to involve heavy scheming. Siamak isn't one to be toyed with, and he'll have mercenaries all over the place. It would've been nice if Karel would've so generously given us something to work with…"

"It wouldn't be Karel then, would it?" Kurtis asked.

"Certainly not," Lara agreed.

"We'll pull up satellite feeds and maps while you guys make your way over there," Zip chipped in. "We'll call it the 'Storming of the Strahov'."

"How clever," Lara muttered. She drew in a deep breath, peering up to the sky as a small aircraft flew their way. "Well, let's get going."

* * *

  
The Strahov fortress hadn't changed one bit since Lara and Kurtis had last been in Prague. And of course, they could never forget such a place – they would know the routes through the building like the backs of their hands. The real concern was Siamak. He had eyes on the back of his head, and the strength of a thousand warriors. If they were caught, they would be killed, and that was all there was to it.

Lara and Kurtis easily entered into the building, as was expected. Memories came back to Lara as she recalled entering into the industrial zone of the fortress, manipulating large hanging boxes and dodging small land mines. All they would have to do now was pass through the bio-research facility and then through the Vault of Trophies. "Did Karel mention where in the Strahov they are?" Lara asked as they pulled the door shut behind them.

"Of course not," Kurtis responded. "My guess? Either in the arena where I fought Boaz or in the region beyond Eckhardt's lab."

"Why is that your guess?" she asked dryly.

"I just have that feeling," he said with a grin.

"Reliable," she sighed. "Zip, what have you got?"

"Activity in the southern arena," he said.

"What'd I tell you?" Kurtis retorted.

"Don't get cocky," Lara warned. "It was a lucky guess."

"What in the devil could they be doing in there?" Alister asked.

"We're going to find out," Lara replied.

Lara and Kurtis moved forward, traversing up the ladder beyond and over the portable trailer. Zip chipped in again. "By the way, guys – you're not going to have to trek through the bio-dome and all that stuff again. I've found a quicker way in."

"What would we do without you?" Lara asked in relief.

"You'd be lost," Zip replied. "Once you get halfway through the fortress, I'll tell you where the corridor is."

Lara and Kurtis moved along the back wall of the upper tier, thankful that no one was around to warn of their intrusion. Memories came flooding back to the both of them as they trekked deeper into the fortress, past the storage portables and suspended wires. They passed through the doors, down the hallways, and around the corners until Zip alerted them that they'd reached the location. "Alright, you see the air shafts above?" Zip asked.

Lara and Kurtis looked up. "Yes…" Lara responded.

"You need to get up there," he instructed. "Follow the airway east and you'll find yourself just above the airlock corridor that will lead to the arena."

"And that's where Emma is?" Lara asked.

"No guarantees," Zip admitted. "That's where the activity is, though."

Lara sighed to herself, then moved towards the storage portable in the corner. Lara reached a hand up, knocking the panel from its hinges until it fell atop the storage bin. Without request, Kurtis leaned forward, giving her a boost into the narrow air shaft. Then, he pulled himself up in behind her. They began moving forward, noting the decrease in temperature as they progressed. They moved as quietly as possible, careful not to alert anyone who might be below.

"Can I ask you a question?" Kurtis asked coolly.

Lara glanced back his way, not sure whether or not she should give in. She sighed. "Go for it."

He hesitated for a moment. "Why is it that you never…mentioned anything about me to Emily?"

_I should've known he was going there, _she thought regretfully. She sighed again, trying to figure out a good way to respond. She kept her mind focused on moving forward, trying to concoct a substantial reply, yet distancing herself from it as much as possible. "It was for a number of reasons," she said calmly. "I didn't want her to have something to hope for that wouldn't happen."

"Just like you did with yourself?" he asked.

"Yes," Lara responded. "She was first priority, though, regardless of what she thinks…"

"I know she is," he consoled. "I'm not questioning your decision…but don't you think she would've become more curious about what she didn't know as time passed?"

Lara sighed to herself, stopping in the middle of the shaft, leaning against the cool metal. Kurtis stopped, too, leaning against the wall beside her. "Of course I thought so," she replied. "Every single day, I thought so." She drew in a silent breath, closing her eyes. "You know…when you're a parent, you do what you can, and that's all that can be asked. There's no handbook or anything that tells you how to handle the things that come about. You just have to hope that you're doing everything right…"

He sighed. "I wish I could say that I know what you mean," he muttered. "I know as much about parenting as I do about gardening."

Lara chuckled a bit. "I guess we're the same in that aspect," she said. "The thing is…life seemed _normal_ before having a child. Then, the next thing I knew, nine months after losing you, along came this tiny little baby, demanding all of my time and energy, my patience and my attention. I thought that after she was born, things would return to normal." She drew in a deep sigh. "_This _is the new normal. I can't think and act the way I used to. I'm not a 'tomb raider' anymore. I'm a mother – things have changed."

"You almost sound regretful," he speculated.

"Of course not," she said. "To be honest, I just doubt myself."

"What's to doubt?" he asked. "You're doing fine, and Emma knows it, too."

"So what do you call last night?" she asked rhetorically.

"Past-due venting," he said. "And teenage hormones."

"Emily and I have never really fought," she said. "Of course, we've had spats, but for the most part, we've been the dynamic duo. We've been okay with just the two of us, and no father-figure around. I guess I just assumed that she was okay with it and that it was nothing more than curiosity." She sighed, staring forward at the wall. "Or perhaps that's what I'd hoped it was…"

"I understand," Kurtis said softly. "I know you're trying to protect her."

"But she doesn't understand that," Lara sighed. "She couldn't possibly realize how much of an impact losing you had on me."

"Of course she doesn't. She's just a kid," Kurtis agreed. "But _I_ understand."

Lara met his gaze. "It must've been hard in there," she said softly.

"The worst," he agreed. "Not being with you was absolute hell."

Lara locked eyes with him for a moment. "Let me ask _you_ a question," she said. "If you would've known about Emily before you came to London, would you have come anyway?"

Kurtis turned away from her, staring forward as if he were contemplating his answer. Then, he drew in a deep breath. "I think so," he said slowly. "I really don't know. I would've been scared as hell, no doubt, but…" He turned and faced her, a soft grin on his face. "I like the way it's turned out so far. Kids have been the farthest thing away in my mind, but Emily…she's something else."

Lara smiled softly. "She loves you," she said. "She hardly knows you, but she loves you as if you've been here all along."

Kurtis slowly turned away, a soft smile crossing his lips. "A bold step for someone so young," he said. "She's obviously not an idiot."

"Certainly not," Lara agreed. She slowly dropped her gaze down to her hands folded over her lap, wriggling her fingers about absent-mindedly. There was still one more question she had…"Once this is all over…" she began slowly. "Are you going back home?"

Kurtis faced her. "Home?" he asked. "Where's that?"

"They say it's where the heart is," Lara shrugged. "Wherever that could be…"

"You have my heart, and you know it," he teased with that smooth grin on his face.

"I guess we're in a bit of a predicament, then," Lara said, grinning back, "seeing how you have mine as well."

"Then I guess we'll have to find a suitable placement for such a predicament," he said, leaning close to her face. She chuckled a bit as their mouths met for a soft kiss. Then, he pulled away, grinning as he leaned forward to continue along the path. Lara leaned forward as well. "I guess we will," she finished.

Kurtis chuckled a bit as he led the way. Lara was thankful he couldn't see her now – the grin on her face had spread miles wide. He hadn't directly confirmed it, but he'd implied that he intended to stay with her after this fiasco was over. Of course, an implication was hardly reliable…but it gave Lara something to look forward to.

"Lara," Kurtis whispered harshly, stopping in his path. Lara moved forward, peering through the grating. A mercenary was stationed outside a large metal door. Lara eyed Kurtis in confusion. "What is it?" she asked.

"Emily's in there," he said. "I can feel it."

Lara peered forward, noticing the grate lying ahead. _That must lead to the room, _Lara thought. Then, she heard noise in the distance down the separate corridor of the airshaft. She slowly crawled forward, peering down into the hallway. Several mercenaries walked about below, heading north of the hallway. _And that must lead to the arena,_ she thought. "Go ahead," Lara directed, turning back to Kurtis. "Get Emma out. I'll follow this path to the arena."

Kurtis drew in a deep breath, nodding slowly as Lara held his gaze. Then, they turned away from each other to tend to their own duties. Kurtis moved forward, peering through the grate. He could see a hallway below. _Great, _he thought dryly. _A door that leads to a door._ He made sure no one was in the hallway, then he kicked the grating in a dropped to the floor below. Kurtis glanced about to make sure he was alone, then he turned towards the door at the end of the hallway. The door looked a lot like one in a maximum security penitentiary – there was a small nook at the top, probably where the guard could deliver food or something else. Kurtis peered through the nook, but to his disappointment, he didn't see his daughter. _Strange, _he thought. _I know she's here somewhere…_

Then, he could feel something was wrong. He quickly moved to the side, dodging the stream of pyrokinetic energy coming his way. _At least she's on her toes, _he thought. He peered through the nook again. "Emily, it's me," he called quickly. "Hold your fire…literally."

"Dad?" she returned. Emily emerged from the dark corner, the flame in her palm instantly depleting. She quickly rushed to the door. "Sorry," she said quickly. "I thought you were one of those Cabal guys."

"Where's Siamak?" he asked quickly.

"I don't know," she admitted. "He locked me in here while he got things ready…I don't know what he meant, but he's planning to take me to Lemuria."

"That's not going to happen," Kurtis said flatly. "We're going to get you out of here."

Kurtis moved to work about the door, but Emily stopped him. "But, Dad…we have to stop him. He's going to rejuvenate his sword."

Kurtis stopped, looking up at her. "What?"

"That's what he said," she told him. "I don't know why, but he plans to do it. He killed Karel, you know."

"He's not dead," Kurtis argued. "He's trapped in Lemuria." Then, the thought struck Kurtis. "Siamak is going to rejuvenate the sword so he can get into Lemuria."

"Couldn't he just go there right now if he wanted?" Emily asked in confusion.

"Not with you," Kurtis said. "Your mind isn't strong enough. If you went into Lemuria right now, you'd…you'd die."

Emily swallowed her fear. "How long before he gets the sword up and running?"

"I don't know," Kurtis said, "but we're going to stop him before he reaches that point."

"How?"

"The Sword of Light is the only thing that can permanently do away with Siamak and Karel."

"So what, then?" Emily asked. "You're going to kill Siamak and trap them both in Lemuria?"

"That's the idea," Kurtis confirmed. "Let's get you out of here, then we'll find Siamak."

Kurtis moved about the door, looking for some kind of lock. It wasn't until he glanced down that he realized the door could only be opened with a pass card. He muttered a curse under his breath, then looked through the nook, resting his hand on the edge. "I'll be back," he promised. "I have to get a pass card."

Kurtis turned away as Emily gripped his hand through the nook. He stopped for the shortest moment, glancing down at the desperate embrace. _Don't leave me,_ she seemed to say. He swallowed his fear, staring into the matching pair of blue eyes, then slowly pulled his hand away with a heavy heart. "It'll only be a few minutes," he promised. "Hang on."

Emily watched as Kurtis disappeared, gripping the edges of the nook with such strength, she was sure they would crumble to pieces. She watched as Kurtis moved down the secluded hallway and out of sight. Then, she pulled away, leaning against the door with her eyes closed as she drew in a deep breath. _He's not going to leave me here, _she fought to convince herself. _He'll be back…_

Emily sighed, sinking to the floor as she remained leaned against the door. She held her palm before her, glad that she'd been practicing with her powers before Kurtis arrived. She knew she needed to be prepared for anything, and perhaps she'd jumped the gun a bit too much when she'd heard someone at the door…thankfully, her father had cat-like reflexes.

She opened her palm, allowing the flame to return. Then, she closed her grip, depleting it. She repeated the nervous habit for several minutes, until anxiety began to settle in her stomach. _What's taking him so long?_ she thought worriedly. Then, she heard footsteps beyond the door. She quickly stood up, peering through the nook. "Dad?" she called.

Her stomach dropped when she found herself face-to-face with a mercenary. He roughly pushed the door forward, then he and his comrade grabbed Emily by the arms and dragged her from the cell and down the hall. She wriggled to break free, but found her attempts useless. They took her to the arena she'd found herself in before, then shoved her forward as they approached Siamak. He glared at her as he faced her with his arms over his chest. "If this is your idea of _trust_, it's quite far-fetched," he said, annoyed.

"What are you talking about?" she asked irritably.

From the arena down below, several mercenaries emerged from a nearby door, dragging Lara and Kurtis by the arms, their wrists bound at their stomachs. They shoved them forward onto the circular grating below. Emily gasped, then turned to Siamak angrily. "You said you wouldn't hurt them!" she demanded.

"That was before you disobeyed me," he replied.

"I didn't do anything," she said angrily.

"They've gotten into my business for the last time," he declared. "Now, they're going to learn their lessons."

"If you touch them, I swear to God I will –"

"You'll what?" he challenged with amusement.

Emily glared coldly at him. "I'll kill you myself."

Siamak chuckled. "Right," he said. "I'd love to see that."

Emily felt her eyes tearing as Siamak turned to face her parents below. The mercenaries stepped away from the circular grating, keeping their guns trained on the prisoners. Then, Siamak jerked his hands forward, and the circular grating began to descend. "I've managed to modify Karel's old contraptions," he said passively to Emily. "This airlock thing here would've been useless if it weren't for my alterations." He reached a hand up, and another circular grating began to descend from the ceiling above, coming towards the lower grating as it descended into the watery alcove. Emily writhed to break free as tears streamed over her cheeks. "Stop it, Siamak!" she shouted.

"It's too late," he said. The panel continued to descend until it followed the lower panel into the alcove and trapped Lara and Kurtis inside. Emily felt her insides turn to jelly with defeat, fear, and overwhelming loss. Then, she glared angrily up at Siamak. With a shout of anger and retaliation, she ignited her entire body into a walking inferno, knocking the mercenaries backwards. She dove forward and tackled Siamak, sending them over the edge of the balcony and to the hard ground below.

It had seemed like a good idea – until Emily felt her head hit the ground. The flames along her body depleted, and it took her a moment to clear her vision. Once she could see the room, she peered forward at the alcove. She quickly climbed to her feet to rush forward, hoping she could see her parents from above. Before she knew it, she was being taken hostage again by the mercenaries who had been below. She knew defeat had come. Slowly, Emily looked up at Siamak as he stood over her, casually dusting off his clothes. "I think it's time we went to Lemuria," he said. "You can bid your father a goodbye there."

Emily dropped her head as she fought back sobs. Siamak turned away, casually exiting the room.

* * *

  
**Oh, no. What will become of Lara and Kurtis? Psh. Like there's anything to really worry about =P Next Monday!**


	10. Strategy

**Okay, I've left you hanging long enough XD**

**

* * *

  
**Kurtis could feel the cold water reaching his ankles, slowly ascending to his knees, and the rest of his body. He turned to Lara quickly. "Any ideas?" he asked.

"Not one," she admitted.

"I can get us untied," he said, "but I don't know where to go from there." They glanced about frantically as the panel descended and the water rose to their hips. "The water is obviously coming from somewhere…"

"The sewer pipes?" Lara asked speculatively.

They glanced behind them as the water rose to their stomachs. There were three wide pipes along the walls sending the water into the airlock. Obviously, the water pressure wouldn't allow them to get out that way – they would have to manipulate it somehow. Then, the idea fell upon Kurtis. "It's going to be hard," he said quickly, "but I might be able to push the water back. We can follow after it."

"That's going to take a lot of energy…" Lara said nervously.

"If it gets us out, it's fine," he said passively.

He outstretched his bound wrists towards the pipe as the floor continued to lower. _Wait for it,_ he though carefully. "When I tell you, you need to swim forward," he directed to Lara. "Get close to the pipe."

Without a second question, Lara waded through the water towards the pipe as the floor continued to lower. She faced Kurtis as he continued to wait. Then, he turned to her. "Go under," he said quickly.

Lara drew in a deep breath and then went under, swimming towards the pipe and through the entrance. It was a difficult task, swimming against the current, but she managed to make small progress. Then, she felt an intense force pushing her forward. She knew Kurtis was helping her. She opened her eyes, watching carefully, hoping for an exit.

From her peripheral, she saw a tunnel leading out through the left. She reached her hands out and gripped the cement edges, fighting against both the current and Kurtis's telepathic force. Then, the water pushed forward, and she saw Kurtis coming her way, his arms outstretched towards the water as he took heavy steps down the passageway. He struggled to hold back the water, fighting to keep his footing as he leveled with Lara at the left tunnel. Then, he quickly shoved himself aside. The water collapsed, shoving both him and Lara down the left tunnel until they reached a shallow air pocket.

"Good work," Lara applauded. Kurtis drew in deep breaths, weak from the lack of energy and the struggle. Lara looked up, gripping through the grates of the panel. She pushed it open, and then pulled herself out, back onto dry land. She turned and reached her bound wrists towards Kurtis to help him pull out of the sewer line. He kicked the hatch shut, drawing in a deep breath of relief as he turned to Lara. They remained where they were for a moment, dripping wet, cold, and exhausted. They held their gaze with each other as they panted for oxygen. Then, they both began laughing. "If that's the best Siamak can offer," Lara said, "then he's in for a trip."

Kurtis chuckled a bit, wiping the water from his forehead. "I think that's the epitome of irony."

Lara bent over, removing the switchblade from her boot and cutting the ties of her wrists. Then, she turned to Kurtis, cutting his bounds as well. She pocketed the switchblade as he rolled his wrists out of the kinks. Then, they glanced up, looking around. "Are we still in the Strahov?" Kurtis asked.

"Just outside of it, it looks like," Lara said.

"Lara, are you there?" Alister paged nervously.

"Here," Lara said. "We're alright, actually."

"Good," he breathed. "Where is Emma?"

"Still with Siamak," she said regretfully.

"So she's in Lemuria, then," he declared.

"What?" Lara asked quickly.

"The Strahov is empty," Zip said. "The only place they would be is in Lemuria."

"That's just a guess, though…?" Lara asked.

"The strange thing is that the portal is no longer active," Alister said.

"What do you mean?" Lara asked quickly.

"Somehow, Siamak managed to break the portal so that literal minds can enter, too," he said.

"So if there's no portal…what is it, then?" she asked confusedly.

"A celestial gateway," Alister speculated. "Regardless, it'll be your turn to set foot in Lemuria and…see the sights."

"Brilliant," Lara muttered.

"So it's back to Madagascar, then," Zip said. "We'll arrange for a flight to pick you up, if you guys can hold off for a bit."

"Of course," Lara sighed. "We'll be waiting. Do hurry."

* * *

  
Several hours later, after the long flight from Prague to Madagascar, Lara and Kurtis landed in the African jungles of the island. Nightfall was coming, and the stars began to dot the sky as the moon rose in the distance. Lara sighed. It was the third time they'd had to cross this area and tour the 'sights' about Lemuria. She was thankful, though, that Kurtis wouldn't have to go alone this time – she would be right by his side. She would see everything that had terrified him so.

Kurtis was more than thankful that the mercenaries had been naïve enough to not disarm them once they caught them in the Strahov – had they actually used their brains, they would've taken the Sword of Light from his person as well, and that would've been chaos, havoc to say the least. The sword was still strapped onto his back, waiting to pierce both Siamak and Karel in the guts and finally do away with them for good. _Hopefully it actually works this time,_ he thought irritably. He wouldn't want to have a go with Karel in round five.

From where they stood at the end of the peninsula, they could see a bright glow in the temple in the distance. "Let's see how much damage Siamak managed to cause," Lara said, setting forward to the light. They walked the distance of the peninsula until they reached the descended path of the temple and set foot inside, standing before the intricate light patterns as they danced along the walls of the temple. "So _this_ is Lemuria?" Lara asked, watching the glowing designs float about.

"The start of it," Kurtis sighed. "It's only going to get worse from here on in."

Lara turned to him. "You're not alone this time," she said.

He met her gaze, staring deep into her eyes with appreciation and relief. He drew in a deep breath, then faced the hallway that led deep inside. "Let's go," he said. They set forward towards the hallway that hadn't been there before, walking along the colorful path that led into the next dimension.

* * *

  
Lara watched as the colors swirled in strange patterns. _This must be what an acid trip is like,_ she thought nervously. There didn't appear to be a path below her, and there were no walls around either. She stepped closer to Kurtis as they continued forward, waiting for something real to appear in her vision.

Kurtis removed the Chirugai from his belt, activating it as it floated before them. Lara exhaled in relief when she saw the glow illuminate a previously-unseen path that veered to the left. She'd only been inside Lemuria for a few minutes, and she was already ready to leave. "Now I see why this place was so difficult to bear," she said softly.

Kurtis didn't glance her way. "Yeah," he said softly.

Lara drew in a silent breath. "I'm…I'm sorry for all the times I was on your case about it," she apologized.

He looked back her way. "It's alright," he assured her.

_It's not…_she thought. But she wouldn't pry any further. Then, he immediately reached a hand back, stopping her. They stood still for a moment, then Kurtis took silent steps back around the corridor. "What is it?" she asked quietly.

"Siamak," he said.

"Is Emily with him?" she asked quickly.

"Yeah," he replied. "Getting her away from him is going to be a bitch."

"I can imagine," Lara muttered. "And I'm assuming guns are irrelevant in here?"

"Unfortunately…"

Lara sighed quietly. She had no other choice weapons without her guns. The only things that would work in here were telepathy, the swords, and the psychics' powers. Again, she felt useless. "So what's the plan?" she asked.

Kurtis peered around the corner, then pulled himself back, sighing in frustration. "Siamak has his sword with him."

"And?" Lara asked. "He's already activated the portal. What difference does it make?"

"Maybe there's more to it than we thought," he said. "I don't know what it could be, though…"

"Forget it," Lara said, shaking her head. "Let's just figure out a way to get Emma away from him. Once she's free, she can leave Lemuria, and we can finish him off."

"That's going to be a lot more difficult than you think," a voice called.

Lara and Kurtis turned on their heels, facing the enemy, Karel. Lara impulsively reached for her gun, training it on his head. Karel chuckled in amusement. "You think you'd learn about those unsightly weapons, Miss Croft," he said.

"Wishful thinking," she chided. "I'm hoping one day it will work."

"What do you want, Karel?" Kurtis asked irritably.

"The Black Angel must be stopped," he said.

"You mentioned that," Kurtis said dryly. "What else?"

"I'm offering you my help to stop Siamak," he said.

Kurtis scoffed. "Thanks, but no thanks," he said. "You're useless anyway, remember? You practically don't even exist."

"Is that so?" Karel asked, raising his arm. His fist began to glow with green energy. He shot a bolt of energy towards Kurtis, who narrowly dodged it, staggering backwards towards the wall. Karel lifted his fist again, preparing to plunge him with another bolt of energy, but Lara interrupted. She stepped between Kurtis and Karel, keeping her useless weapon pointed at his head. "That's enough," Lara said. "Somehow you've managed to join the rest of us in reality – how fortunate. Now what do you want?"

Karel slowly dropped his hand, letting the green energy deplete. "You can either take my help and stand a chance at seeing your darling daughter again, or you can refuse it and I can kill you both where you stand."

"What would be the benefit to you if we were dead?" Kurtis challenged, approaching Lara's side.

"Defeating Siamak would be more difficult, thought not impossible," Karel said flatly. "Consider it my gift to you."

"How generous," Lara said dryly. "So what do you propose we do?"

"I've opened a can of worms with Siamak," Karel began. "Where I thought he would be under my command to help me rebreed the Nephilim race, he wasn't. He clearly has his own objectives. Now, he must be stopped, before all psychics become his slaves."

"But you haven't explained the tasks at hand," Lara said impatiently.

"The Sword of Light is the only thing that can defeat Siamak," he said. "I will distract Siamak, acting as your _beloved,_" he cooed, referring to Kurtis. "So long as his attention is focused on me, you will be able to defeat him."

"Not in Lemuria," Kurtis said, "and you know that."

"Why do you think he's here, fool?" Karel asked. "He _knows_ that. This place is his safe base. You must lure him out of here."

"Then what does that leave you to do?" Lara asked.

"Maybe you're missing my points," Karel said irritably. "_I _will distract Siamak and lead him past the portal to reality. _You_ must then defeat him."

"And what will become of you?" Lara challenged. "How do we know you wouldn't then just try to kill us?"

Karel's fist began to glow green again. "I could kill you now, if you'd prefer," he replied evilly. "It makes no difference to me."

"So that must make you quite the munificent soul, then, sparing us…?"

"Perhaps so," Karel agreed humorously. The flame in his hand depleted once again. "I will draw Siamak out." He turned to Kurtis. "You must wait just outside of Lemuria."

"And what shall I do?" Lara asked irritably.

Karel looked her up and down discriminately. "You're expendable," he said. Then, he turned on his heel, disappearing around the corner.

Lara raised her weapon angrily, preparing to fire. Her better senses took over, though, and she lowered her hand groaning in frustration. "I don't trust him for a second," she said, holstering her weapon.

"As well you shouldn't," Kurtis agreed. "We're only safe from him until Siamak is dead. Once that happens, he'll turn on us."

Lara turned away, thinking. "Perhaps if we trapped them both inside…"

"And how do we do that?" Kurtis challenged. "Siamak controls Lemuria. There's nothing we can do."

Lara sighed. "You're right." She turned to face him.

"I have a plan," Kurtis said quickly, "but I don't have time to explain it. Once Emily is alone, take her and _stay here._"

"Stay here?" Lara asked nervously. "Why?"

"Just do it," he ordered. He placed his hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eyes. "Trust me. _Please_." Lara continued to stare into his gaze, then pulled herself into his embrace, kissing him on the mouth. After a quick bidding of goodbye, they reluctantly separated. Kurtis turned and exited through the way they'd come, and Lara turned down a separate corridor to reach the arena where Siamak and Emily were, praying that whatever plan Kurtis had would pull through.  


* * *

**And we're getting closer to the final showdown everyone!! Only a few more chapters left =D**


	11. Why I Am

**And even closer we come to the ending :) Sorry, guys...it's still Monday to me, though TECHNICALLY it's 2am on Tuesday XD **

**

* * *

  
**Emily cautiously glanced about the strange arena, watching as the colors along the back walls danced around in odd patterns. Her father had told her that Lemuria was a dangerous, unstable, and ridiculously strange place, but she hadn't pictured _this._ Was any of what she was seeing real at all, or was it all made up of some strange, celestial energy?

She heard noise behind her as Siamak turned in her direction with his sword in his hand. _What the heck is he doing now? _she asked herself nervously. He stepped forward to the strange sculpture before them on the balcony of the arena. The sculpture had a slit in the middle of it, like something belonged inside of it. Siamak held his sword before him, looking it over fondly. "What are you doing?" Emily asked, hoping the interruption would stall him.

He glanced her way. "Taking back Lemuria," he replied.

"I don't understand."

Siamak glared at her for a moment, as if trying to decide whether she was being sneaky or truly curious. Then, he lowered the weapon to his side. "Thousands of years ago, before the war between the Lux Veritatis and the Dark Arts, _I_ was here, ruling Lemuria valiantly. Thousands of years ago, _I_ was the most powerful. Thousands of years ago, this place –" He gestured about the arena. " – was my home, was my kingdom." He turned to face the arena, as if gazing over it with a fondness he'd lost thousands of years ago. "I made a choice when I was seventeen years old – to join the Lux Veritatis in the war, to stop the Black Alchemist and the Nephilim army. I left this place to fight for what I believed was right. I left this place to help people like _you_."

Emily's bound hands wriggled absently against her body. "Seventeen years old?" she asked. "Why would you leave this place to join war if you were just a kid?"

"I was the most powerful psychic alive," he explained. "I was powerful enough to defeat the enemies at hand." He held his gaze with her, solemn slowly creeping into his eyes. "At least…that's what I'd thought. I thought I could single-handedly defeat the Black Alchemist in the war – then, the psychic world would be at peace again. Lemuria was once a safe haven, a majestic place for all psychics to be. Now, though…" He slowly gazed out over the collapsed kingdom. "…it's been reduced to _this_. I never wanted any of this to happen."

Emily carefully watched him, trying to decide whether or not this boy was still a threat to her. She'd never seen him so…broken down. Sure, she didn't exactly know him, but he'd seem to have underlying bad intentions overall. Now, though…was this regret she was seeing in him? Maybe even pain…? "You were fighting alongside the Lux Veritatis brothers, weren't you?" she asked quietly. "They were your allies…?"

He continued to face away from her, slowly dropping his head. "They _were_," he said. "I got caught in the blockade, caught in the crossfire between the brothers and the Cabal. After thinking for so long that I was the farthest thing from destructible, I failed." He quietly sighed. "They buried me in the fig orchard in New Zealand – that was my home. I was dead…but I wasn't gone."

"I don't understand…" Emily said softly.

"My body was dead," he explained, "but I was here in Lemuria. I've been here in Lemuria for thousands of years, though not quite in the way I'd been before the war. I was trapped inside, decaying away just as Lemuria was. If you could've seen Lemuria the way it had been thousands of years ago, you wouldn't have had any fear about coming at all."

"But…" she said slowly. "When we went to Cappadocia, you awakened. It was like you were waiting for someone to find you."

"Waiting?" he scoffed. "Hardly. Everything was like a bad dream. In a way, I hoped no one would ever find me." He slowly faced her. "The Lux Veritatis brothers moved my body to Cappadocia in the hopes that the Cabal would never find me and bring me back to use for their own motives. I was here in Lemuria the whole time, trapped just as Karel is now. When you found me in Cappadocia, I had no choice but to awaken."

Emily slowly looked down, trying to figure out what to say. Then, she looked up at him. "It sounds like you were a very noble ruler thousands of years ago."

A soft smile crossed his lips. "I was," he agreed. "I would've done anything to protect the other psychics."

She searched his eyes carefully. "Then what is all of _this_?" she asked quietly. "Why are we _here_? You can rule Lemuria once again, without…" She stopped herself, trying to think of the right words to say. "…without causing all of this destruction."

He faced her, the look of solemn replaced with anger and revenge. "It's too late for that, Emily," he said flatly. "All of my work, everything I stood for, my home itself…it's all been taken advantage of. Why should I feel sorry for what I've done?"

"Because the pain you went through is now being placed on other people just like you," she said. "You said you would do anything to protect other psychics – why has that changed now?"

"Because _they're_ the ones who brought this upon themselves," he said in a low voice.

"Karel has caused all of this mayhem," she argued. "Not me, not my parents, not the other brothers – no one but Karel. Punish _him_ for what _he's_ done, don't punish everyone else. Be the ruler you were thousands of years ago."

Emily held his gaze, hoping that somehow he would listen to her. He stared deep into her eyes with a look of atonement that apologized for what he knew he already was going to go through with. Then, he raised his sword to his side, turning towards the sculpture before them. "I'm not that person anymore," he said regretfully. "I tried to be a valiant warrior, a noble leader. It didn't work. Now, this is the price to be paid."

Siamak inserted the sword into the slot of the sculpture. Emily took a fearful step backwards, wishing she could just run away and never look back. The sword moved forward to the top of the slit, as if mechanically controlled from within the sculpture. Then, Siamak slowly turned to face her. "Now, it's time for you to help _me_," he said. "Power the sword."

Emily shook her head fervently. "I'm not going to help you," she said, backing away. "This is crazy."

Siamak glared at her. "Do as I say," he said more firmly. "Don't make me hurt you."

Siamak stepped towards her as she continued to back away – to where? The only thing behind her was a cement wall. She slowly slumped to the ground, fearing that death was just around the corner. She closed her eyes, deciding it would be better to die honorably than to live cowardly. She heard the green energy power up in Siamak's palm, knowing it was meant for her. Then, they heard a voice. "Siamak!" it shouted.

Emily jerked her head up. _Dad?_ she thought. She quickly rose to her feet, disregarding Siamak. He stepped to the edge of the balcony, glaring down at Kurtis below. "You've interfered enough!" he chided. "Get out of here, or stand by for the destruction coming your way!"

Kurtis grinned up at him. "Quitting is for cowards," he challenged. "And taking potshots from a balcony above is for cheaters."

"Then a cheater I'll be," Siamak retorted. "There's nothing else that you can do, Montsegur. She's already here in Lemuria. She's going to help me take over once again."

"Lemuria will be like it should be," Kurtis shot back. "Trashed."

Siamak glared hatefully at him. "Enough of this nonsense," he muttered. He turned towards Emily, but Kurtis stopped him once again.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" he asked.

Siamak irritably faced him. "If it's your untimely death, then of course not."

"The Sword of Light," Kurtis said.

Siamak's glare quickly fell away, replaced with shock and confusion. "Where is it?" he demanded.

"With Croft," he said. "She's around here somewhere. I entrusted it to her, that way if you kill me, at least the sword will be safe."

Emily's face knit into confusion. _Croft?_ she thought. Why was he referring to her so…absently? Emily cautiously glanced about the balcony, looking for a way out. It seemed that the only escape route was off the balcony, and she certainly didn't master any levitation skills. She would just have to jump and hope for the best, and she would have to do it quickly before Siamak either killed her father, or forced her to power up the sword.

Siamak continued to eye Kurtis, then he folded his arms over his chest. "How about we make a deal?" he said casually. "I promise to return your child safely to you once everything is over, so long as you bring the sword to me."

"As tempting as that sounds," Kurtis said, "it doesn't exactly benefit me."

"Not the survival of your precious daughter?" Siamak asked, slightly shocked.

Kurtis glanced Emily's way, then turned back to Siamak. "My _daughter_ is of my concern and mine alone," he spat so scornfully.

Siamak powered up an orb of green energy in his palm. "So be it, then," he said. "I'll just kill you, and then the Croft woman, too."

He shot the energy towards Kurtis, but Kurtis merely lifted his hand, stopping the energy with his telepathy. Emily saw this as her window of opportunity. She ran towards the edge of the balcony, then leapt forward, hoping she wouldn't break any bones once she fell below. The closer to the ground she came, though, the more fearful she felt. Then, just as she was about to strike below, she stopped, floating just a foot above the dirt. She looked up to see Kurtis reaching a hand towards her, a look of boredom and loathe in his eyes. Emily kicked her feet around, struggling to break free. "You can let me go any day now!" she chided.

He lifted an eyebrow, then released his psychic grip, dropping Emily to her knees on the ground. She glared up at him, unsure of why he was behaving so…irritably. Then, she glanced up just in time to see Siamak shooting a bolt of energy her way. She gasped, then quickly rolled forward, dodging the attack just in time. "Stop fooling around," Kurtis demanded. He shot another surge of energy towards Siamak, just enough to stun him, then jerked Emily to her feet and shoved her forward down the corridor. "We need to get out of here."

Emily quickly staggered to her feet, rushing down the corridor without a second question, nor a second glance. Kurtis was hot on her heels – although she had no idea where she was going in the first place. Emily ran until she couldn't feel any oxygen in her lungs anymore. Then she stopped, bending over as she heaved for air. "Where are we going anyway?" she asked between breaths as Kurtis stood beside her. "Where's Mom?"

"Somewhere around here," he muttered.

"Then let's get going!" Emily urged.

She stepped away, preparing to move further down the corridor, but felt a grip on her entire body. She fought to turn her head away to see where the force was coming from. When she faced Kurtis, a hateful glare was upon his face. "What are you doing?" she asked fearfully.

"Making sure you don't cause any problems," he said lowly.

He lifted her from the ground as she kicked her feet in the air, struggling to find a base to touch. "Dad, put me down!" she demanded in fear. "You're hurting me!"

"Dad?" he scoffed. "Just because we're related doesn't mean I'm your father."

She searched his eyes in confusion. "What?"

"You were a mistake, to say the least," he spat. "Once this is all over, I'll be glad to be rid of you. _And _your mother."

Her eyes filled with tears. "You don't mean that…" she muttered.

"I do mean that," he argued. "Sorry, Emily. I guess your idea of a happy little family isn't going to fly."

Tears spilled over her cheeks. "Why are you doing this?" she said quietly.

He narrowed his eyes at her, then jerked his hand backwards, sending her towards the back wall. She slumped to the ground, unconscious. Kurtis approached her, towering over her with an evil glare. "I hope you like it here in Lemuria," he muttered in a voice not his own. "Because you're never leaving after this is over."

* * *

  
**Seeee...Siamak wasn't ALWAYS a bad egg...**


	12. A New Warrior

**Okay, I won't lie - I DID almost forget to post...but I have 41 minutes until it's Tuesday here, so ha! I win :)**

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* * *

  
**Lara ran down the narrow corridor, unsure of where she was going in the first place. She just hoped that it would lead to a back route to the arena where she could reach Siamak and Emily before it was too late. Whatever Kurtis's plan was, she prayed it would all work out.

She continued to follow the swirling colors and beaming lights until she reached the end of the corridor. The path was blocked off by what appeared to be large boulders and stones. She approached them, peering through the narrow crack to realize she was just outside of the arena where Kurtis had seen Siamak and Emily. Lara took a step back, gazing over the obstacle. Then, she narrowed her eyes, assumed the role of a dutiful, perseverant tomb raider, and shoved all of her strength forward into the blockade. The boulders budged a mere inch. She took another step back, then shoved forward again. The boulders moved another inch. She took another step back, rubbing her shoulder as she felt a bruise forming. Then, she shoved forward again. She repeated the action until the boulders collapsed on the other side.

Lara quickly climbed over the rocks as blood began to seep through her shirt along her shoulder and upper arm. She quickly looked about the room, turning her attention to the balcony in the distance. There was no one around. _Where are they? _she thought suspiciously. She clenched her fists at her side as if waiting for something to pop out of nowhere like it so often did. She slowly made her way towards the balcony, glimpsing some strange sculpture above with an object protruding from within it. _Is that Siamak's sword? _she thought, squinting to try to see the object clearly. There was no way to climb up – Siamak must've levitated himself up there if he'd been there in the first place.

If this was a trap, it would get the best of her. Lara knew that she needed to move forward. Just like Garin had always said – never idle too long. She took slow steps forward, preparing to exit through the opposite corridor that led back to the gateway of Lemuria. She would circle the entire realm over and over again if that was what it took to find her daughter.

* * *

  
Kurtis paced around the outside of the gateway, counting over and over in his head as he waited for Karel and Siamak to emerge. Karel had said he was going to draw Siamak out – Kurtis prayed he held through on his end of the bargain. He needed to get rid of Siamak first and foremost. Then, he needed to send Karel to his final resting place.

He gazed down at the powerful Sword of Light in his hand. It was the only defense and offense that he had at the moment. As long as it was in his hands, neither Karel nor Siamak could stop him. They should fear him.

Kurtis saw movement beyond the gateway in the distance. He gripped the sword, preparing for a fight. He watched carefully as he saw himself exiting through the gateway and stepping into reality. _Karel,_ he thought irritably. Karel grinned evilly at him, then shifted back into his true form. "Where is Siamak?" Kurtis demanded.

"He's on his way," Karel said casually, rolling the kinks out of his wrist as if preparing for a fight.

"So what do you plan to do?" Kurtis asked. "You've drawn him out – where do _you _go from here?"

"That is my concern and mine alone," Karel said, staring forward at the gateway.

Kurtis sighed angrily in his mind. _It's going to be my concern when I have to do away with you,_ he thought. He looked up in time to see further movement beyond the gateway. Kurtis braced himself, but Karel merely stared on. After a few moments, Siamak emerged from beyond the gateway. His face was glazed over with anger. When he saw Karel, however, his expression became of confusion. "How are you alive?" he demanded.

Karel grinned evilly. "Little did you know, when you rejuvenated the sword and destroyed the portal, _I_ became myself once again."

Siamak glared at him evilly. "You knew it, didn't you?" he asked. "You knew it all along!"

"You shouldn't have turned on me, boy," Karel chided.

"_You_ shouldn't have turned on _me_, Karel," Siamak countered. "I'm going to kill you where you stand, once and for all!"

"Why kill _me_ when _he _is the one with the Sword of Light?" Karel asked casually, gesturing towards Kurtis. "Why would I want to risk you losing your fun in doing away with the final Montsegur brother? I practically gift-wrapped him for you – he's yours for the taking, standing here before you."

Kurtis's glare of revenge slowly turned to one of nervousness and fear as he watched the Black Angel before him. Just seconds ago, he'd been hell-bent on ridding himself of Karel. Now, Siamak seemed to contemplate over Karel's words as if the two enemies were old lackeys once again. His mouth turned into an evil grin. "How right you are," Siamak agreed. "Fine, then. I'll take care of him."

"The Croft woman and the child are still in Lemuria," Karel said, casually moving towards the gateway. "I'll do away with the both of them."

Siamak hesitated for a moment, then returned to his hateful glare. "She's of no use to me anymore," he muttered, speaking of Emily. "Do whatever you want."

Karel's evil grin fell over his face. Then, he turned towards the gateway, entering inside to tend to his own business.

Kurtis held the sword in a warrior's stance, watching as Siamak slowly descended down the broken cobblestone steps towards him. Siamak's fists glowed with green energy. _Let's do what Lara does,_ Kurtis thought. _Bedside talk._ "Why do you trust him, Siamak?" he asked calmly. "You know he's just going to turn on you. It's been his plan all along – to use you against the Lux Veritatis so he can rebreed the Nephilim army."

"I trust him because he's not the one threatening me with the Sword of Light," he retorted.

"No one's threatening you yet," Kurtis said. "I'm just defending myself."

"And you should be," Siamak agreed. "After knowing what's coming your way, you should already be running in fear."

Kurtis knew he had nothing to be afraid of. _He_ was the one holding the Sword of Light. One swing of energy Siamak's way and he would be done for. It was just a matter of planning it perfectly. He needed to distract the Black Angel. "Where is Emily?" he asked.

"You should know," he chided. "She ran off with you."

Kurtis hesitated. "It wasn't me," Kurtis argued. "It was Karel."

Siamak appeared concerned for a moment, then returned to his hardened glare. "It doesn't matter anyway," Siamak said. "She turned on me. She's as good as dead in Lemuria anyway. When I power the sword at full capacity, the portal will restore, and anyone inside whose mind isn't strong enough is going to die immediately."

Kurtis's stomach dropped – was he telling the truth? That meant that both Emily _and _Lara would die! He'd planned for them to stay in Lemuria until he'd done away with Siamak, then have them come back past the gateway so he could trap Karel inside. That didn't seem to be much of an option anymore…

Kurtis was so lost in thought that he barely noticed the bolt of energy coming his way. He quickly dodged it, diving to the side and out of harm's way. He countered the attack, swinging the sword in Siamak's direction as a bolt of energy emitted from the blade. Siamak quickly dodged the attack just as Kurtis had. This wouldn't be difficult to bring Siamak down – it would merely take time and concentration.

* * *

  
Lara continued to move down the corridor until she knew that the gateway was just ahead. She couldn't leave yet. She couldn't go anywhere near the gateway yet. She _needed _to find Emily. She had to be around here somewhere – unless she'd gone through the gateway…? But why would she? She must've been with Siamak…

Lara stopped in her footsteps, placing her hands on her hips as she glanced around for an alternative. She saw a faint glowing out of the corner of her eye – a glow she hadn't seen before. Lara turned and followed the narrow corridor in the direction of the light. _This place is just one big colorful maze,_ Lara thought with annoyance. She continued forward until she rounded the corner. Her stomach dropped at the same time her heart soared upon the sight of her daughter. "Emily!" she cried.

Lara rushed forward to her daughter as Emily turned to face her. She stopped in her path when she saw that Emily was trapped beyond a celestial, light blue force-field. She gazed over it in confusion. "What is this?" she breathed.

"…Kurtis…trapped me in here," Emily muttered wearily, dissociating from her father by calling him by his name and not the fond 'Dad' she'd so recently adopted.

Lara eyed her in confusion. "What?"

"He…" Tears came to her eyes. "He said I was a mistake. Then he knocked me out and must've trapped me here."

_Kurtis has been outside of Lemuria this whole time…_Lara thought. She looked up at her daughter. "It was Karel," she said flatly. "He was trying to reach Siamak to draw him beyond the gateway."

Emily looked up at her slowly. "Are you…are you sure?"

"I'm certain," Lara assured her. She eyed her with a look of assurance. "Kurtis…would never say such a thing."

Emily slowly dropped her head. "I guess…"

"Now how do I get you out of here?" she asked quickly.

Emily gazed up at the force field. "I don't know," she admitted. "I only woke up a few minutes ago in here. Karel must've made it."

Lara drew in a deep breath, gazing over the force field. _There has to be a way to get past it…_she thought. "I have an idea," Emily said quickly. Emily approached the force field and outstretched her hand. Her palm began to glow with pyrokinetic energy. Then, she reached it towards the blue light. Her hand stretched out past the shield, then her arm followed, then the rest of her body. She groaned in pain until she reached the other side, then collapsed to her knees as her skin burned and stung painfully. She knew she could've tried escaping sooner, but something inside of her told her it didn't matter – it was as though she'd lost all motivation to escape.

Lara bent down by her side, gripping her shoulders. "Are you alright?" she asked quickly.

Emily slowly looked up Lara with sadness in her eyes. "I…" she said slowly. "I'm so sorry for what I said, Mom."

Lara searched her eyes, recalling the angry feelings she'd released nights ago. Then Lara released a quiet sigh. "You were right, Emma."

"No I wasn't," she argued. "I never should've said those things to you. I know you love me, and I know you were trying to take care of me. I never really thought…" She dodged Lara's gaze. "I never thought that you missed him more than I ever could."

Lara sighed again, trying to find the right words to say. "I didn't want you to ever see me weak, Emily. I wanted you to think the world of me, to believe I was indestructible. Losing your father was…the hardest thing I'd ever gone through. I didn't want you to have to feel the same pain."

Emily nodded slowly. "I understand now. I just wanted a reason to be angry so I wouldn't feel sad…"

Lara sighed quietly, forcing herself to smile. "It's all past now, love," she assured her. "Let's focus on the present."

Lara and Emily rose to their feet. "Where are we supposed to go now?" Emily asked.

"Kurtis said to wait here," she replied. "I'm not sure why, but we need to keep a watch out for Karel or Siamak, should they try to come back…"

"Are you sure it was…_Dad_…and not Karel?" she asked timidly.

"Yes," Lara assured her. "I watched Karel depart with my own eyes. Trust me, Emily."

Emily swallowed her fear, then glanced about the cavern they were in. She felt like a sitting duck waiting there for whatever reason Kurtis had instructed them to. She knew they needed to do something. "We can't just wait here," she said nervously. "What if…what if I tried reaching Dad telepathically?"

Lara looked down at her. "Do you know how?"

"I can try," Emily said. She drew in a deep breath, then stepped away from her mother, closing her eyes. She focused hard on the image of her father while praying to God that she would be able to reach him, and that he would be okay. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, then sent her mind forward, trying to reach her father. She'd expected to merely reach out through the telepathic phone lines, but instead, she found her consciousness leaving her body and wandering through the corridor.

Her vision reddened, and then turned to face where she'd been standing. She saw herself standing numbly and absently in the same place she'd been just moments before. Lara was watching her, a look of shock on her face. _What the heck is going on?_ Emily asked herself. She felt like she was in a motion simulator, wearing one of those strange masks they used. She fought to turn her vision away from the scene, then moved down the corridor. _This is like some weird first-person video game,_ she thought. Her sight moved down the corridor and out through the exit until she saw the light of the gateway ahead. Then, she moved past it until she reached the battle scene between her father and Siamak.

Siamak swung his fist towards Kurtis, emitting a large bolt of green energy. Kurtis immediately blocked it and the energy surged through the blade of the Sword of Light. Then, he swung back, sending the energy Siamak's way. She inched her vision closer to the scene ever so slowly. Then, Kurtis turned towards her as if he could see her, his face knitting into confusion. _Is everything okay?_ she wanted to ask him. Then, he was impaled by a bolt of energy and was sent flying into the back wall. Emily gasped in her mind, and the next thing she knew, she'd returned to her body, jerking fiercely backwards until she fell to the ground.

Her vision was blackened for a moment. Then, she shook her head clear to see Lara coming to her side. Emily reached a hand to her head. Immediately, she heard a voice in her head. _Didn't know you had Farsee, Em,_ Kurtis said. Emily's heart soared at the sound of his 'voice'. _Farsee? _she asked. _I was just trying to communicate with you. Mom and I are okay for now. What should we do?_

_Find a back way out of Lemuria, _he instructed quickly. _Use your Farsee whenever you can to make sure Karel isn't around. _

_Is he here? _she asked nervously.

_He went back in to find you, _Kurtis replied. _Emily, be careful. _

_You too, Dad,_ she said, trying to dissociate from the fear she had for him as he battled the Black Angel. Emily turned towards Lara. "He said to find a back way out so we can avoid Karel," she told her.

"That won't be an option," a voice called.

Emily and Lara jerked their heads in the direction of the voice, already aware that it was Karel coming for them. He slowly stepped into the light of the cavern, his hands casually folded before him as the evil grin over his face widened. Lara protective pushed Emily behind her. A glare crossed her face and her fists balled at her side. "Haven't you had enough of your fun in taking lives?" Lara asked irritably.

"Not yet," Karel argued. "Not only have you and your lover overthrown my schemes time and time again, your beloved daughter has interfered as well. The price must be paid."

"And what price is that?" Lara asked. "Clearly the Black Angel has no desire to befriend _you _anymore."

"The tenth child was meant to have delivered her powers to the Black Angel in order to resurrect the Nephilim army," he explained, stepping closer. "The Black Angel intended to use her to power his sword and restore Lemuria. Either way, the plans have failed. Now, I see clearly what her purpose is – someone so naïve shouldn't behold such power."

"Oh?" Lara asked dryly. "And who should?"

Karel outstretched his arms. "Yours truly."

"I don't think that even you know what you want, Karel," Lara said. "One minute it is the Nephilim army's resurrection, the next it's my daughter's powers. Make up your bloody mind."

"Oh, I have," he promised, "though this time, it's a bit more personal. Her life is the price to be paid at the expense of my losses on yours and the Lux knights' behalf."

Lara removed her pistols. "I don't think so, Karel."

"And who are you to stop me?" he challenged with an evil grin.

Lara was ready to empty her magazines into his head just to give Emily a chance to escape. She pushed down on the slide release lever of the guns, then aimed the weapons towards Karel's head, glaring into his eyes. Then, she felt a soft hand on the back of her upper arm. "It's alright, Mom," Emily said quietly. "I'll face him."

Lara felt a fleeting instance of sickness in her stomach at the mere sound of her daughter making such a crazy suggestion. "Not a chance in hell," she said flatly.

"It's either _I _face him, or we both stand here and die," she said. "Let me do this."

"Emily, you can't –"

"Don't try to stop me, Mom," Emily said.

She stepped out from behind her mother to face the evil grin on Karel's face. Lara wasn't about to budge. However, when she attempted to step before Emily again, she shoved her backwards telepathically, then immediately ignited a wall of fire between them. Lara met her daughter's gaze with fear and shock, matching the look in Emily's eyes. _She's not ready for such a challenge,_ Lara thought nervously. _She's too overambitious…_A voice in the back of her head commented, 'just like you', but she brushed it away. Emily turned away from facing her mother, then faced Karel as the flames grew higher and higher, separating the two of them.

Lara wasn't about to just leave. She would take the long way and sneak up behind Karel. Together, with the help of her daughter, they would put an end to Karel and his madness once and for all.

* * *

  
**So what do you guys think? You think Emily can take him on her own, or is she too overzealous? We'll find out next week! Two chapters left!!! =D**


	13. Almost Out

**Sorry it's late guys =( But school is out until January, so no more worries!**

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* * *

  
**Emily kept her focus on Karel as she took three terrified steps towards him. Then, she stood with her feet shoulder-width apart, her head held high, and her fists balled at her side. She drew in one steady breath, holding eye contact with Karel as he let his evil grin spread over his face. Emily could feel the heat from the self-created fire as the flames danced behind her. She could tell her mother had already left. _She'll be back, _she thought. She was either rounding about to come around from the back, or she was going to find Kurtis, and they were both going to come back.

Emily's plan was simple – she was going to dispose of Karel herself, or hold him off just long enough for her parents to return and help her finish him. There was only one thought in her mind that she continued to replay over and over – if both Siamak and Karel were so convinced that she was powerful enough to do all the things they'd intended to use her for, then she _must _be powerful enough to stop them, or at least Karel, since he seemed so less fearful than Siamak.

She'd been so afraid of this man since the beginning. Hell, she'd been so afraid of this…situation…in its entirety since the beginning, from the first night she'd been threatened by that Cabal follower in her room. Now, here she stood, facing the challenge, willing her mind to push aside the fear and do what was noble and right.

Emily quickly glanced about the cavern. If she could somehow trap Karel inside beyond the fire, she could make a run for it. Hopefully, she could stall him long enough to reach the outside of the gateway at the same time Kurtis had defeated Siamak.

Karel took a casual step towards her. "It's quite honorable of you to stand alone against me," he said. "Perhaps, it's even more foolish."

"Oh well," Emily said. "I'm not afraid of you anymore, Karel."

"Fear is an innate emotion," he replied. "Do you honestly believe you can rid yourself of it in its entirety?"

"I think it's time for _you_ to be afraid of something for a change," she retorted. "How does being stuck in Lemuria _forever _sound?"

Karel chuckled with amusement. "Is that your brilliant plan? Because you're going to need a lot more than a lighter to stop me."

Emily held her hands up before him. "I don't have a lighter," she said. "You took it from me on the train, remember?"

Karel narrowed his eyes at her. "Ah, that's right," he remarked. "Well, it should make my task much simpler."

"Think again, Karel," she said.

Emily thrust her palms forward and attacked Karel with two streams of pyrokinetic energy. She was surprised that he didn't even dodge the attack – perhaps he'd really thought she had no powers without her lighter. _All the better, _she thought. Karel staggered back, then regained his footing, peering down at the breast-pads on his black suit-jacket. The holes had been singed all the way to his tacky red sweater. He glared up at Emily, then jerked his wrists at his side as he ignited the threatening green orbs of energy in his palms. "Fine, then," he said flatly. "We'll play games."

Emily quickly dodged the bolt of energy he sent her way, moving about in the small amount of space in the cavern that she had. She knew exactly what she needed to do. She kept all her senses alert, focused on Karel as he moved deeper into the cavern. _Perfect, _she thought.

"You've ruined everything," he said in a low, evil voice. He sent another surge of energy her way, and she narrowly dodged it. "You've destroyed _everything_ I've worked for!" he shouted. Another bolt of energy. Emily took cautious steps backwards and to the left, keeping herself wary of the flame behind her. "Now, you're going to pay the whole price for it," he finished.

Emily quickly dodged another burst of energy, then drew her fists back and shoved a stream of fire his way. He dodged it as narrowly as Emily had. _We're just fighting fire with fire, _she thought. At least she had a real plan. Karel's only plan was to kill her – she could see it in his eyes, and she could feel it. As much as it scared her, she knew what she needed to. She would have to wait for the right moment.

Karel continued to step towards her with the glowing green in his fists. Then, he shot the bolts towards her. Emily closed her eyes and let the warm, stinging burn fall over her as she flew backwards and down the corridor Karel had come from. She'd never experienced such pain in her life – not the time she'd broken her arm, not the time she'd cut her hand with a knife while chopping tomatoes, not the time she'd fallen and hit her head on a brick edge. No, this was the most pain she'd ever felt. Her insides seemed to melt from within, and her entire body burned like she'd been the one impaled with fire. To top it off, she could feel warm blood oozing from the side of her head and back of her shoulder from where she'd collided with the rough ground.

Emily fought to open her eyes. _I have to finish what I've started, _she convinced herself. She struggled to sit up on her hands. Karel chuckled evilly as she heard his slow footsteps approaching her. "Foolish child," he chided. She slowly looked up at him as he bent down towards her, lifting her from the ground with his hand. She struggled to breathe, reaching around his hand as it gripped her throat. "I don't even need powers to kill you," he said simply. "I can crush the life out of you right here."

She felt his grip tightening on her throat. _Just one more second,_ she thought reluctantly. She felt her eyes roll through the back of her head, but fought it off desperately to focus on the high ceiling of the cavern before her. She watched it carefully as an orange cloud began to form, encircling the ceiling. Karel glared at her strangely, then gazed up at the ceiling. His look of concern turned to fear when he saw a funnel of fire coming his way, impaling him and sending him backwards towards the wall of fire Emily had used to block Lara off earlier. She fell from his grip, struggling for breath as she heard Karel crying in pain. She quickly covered her ears as she stumbled to her feet, rushing down the corridor and away from Karel as quickly as her weak and pained body would let her.

Before she could make it all the way down the corridor, she felt the warm stinging pain strike her in the back, and she flew forward, impaling the wall in the distance. She slumped to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

  
Kurtis shoved the blade forward, sending a surge of energy towards Siamak. Siamak had been dodging the attacks for endless minutes, but now, as the scene continued, he was losing strength and energy. The force of energy struck Siamak in the shoulder, and he cried out in pain, clutching where he'd been attacked. He removed his hand long enough to glimpse the singed skin that had been crisped from the psychic energy of the Sword of Light, then glared up at Kurtis as he stood with the sword held before him.

Siamak took slow threatening steps towards Kurtis, then stopped, turning to face the person standing at the edge of the gateway. He turned towards Lara with an evil glare. She'd tried to pass by the gateway and reach the cavern where Emily and Karel were without being noticed, but the plan had failed.

Kurtis felt fear reach across his heart for the briefest moment. Emily wasn't with Lara. _Em, where are you? _he communicated quickly. He waited for the briefest second, but when nothing returned, he knew something was wrong. All of his plans from before were shot to hell – he was going to have to improvise. _To hold the sword outside of Lemuria doesn't require psychic capability, _he thought quickly. With that thought in mind, he quickly turned away. "Lara!" he shouted to her.

Lara turned her attention to him quickly as he tossed the sword towards her. She nimbly caught it, turning to him with confusion. "This is your specialty, Kurtis," she said quickly, glancing over at Siamak as an evil grin of amusement crossed his face.

"Now it's yours," he returned. "Take care of him. I'm going to find Emily."

Kurtis bolted out of the alcove and past the gateway. Lara turned her attention towards the Black Angel, slowly descending the steps to approach the enemy. _This is it, _she thought. _This is where it ends. _She drew the sword backwards into a warrior's stance, glimpsing the wound on Siamak's shoulder. "Do you really think _you _of all people will be able to control such a weapon?" he asked with amusement.

"I've handled worse before," Lara replied. "You and Karel have caused enough damage – it's time for you to go home."

He outstretched his arms as his hands began to spark with the green energy. "That's exactly where I've intended to go all along," he said casually. "But this time, I won't be going alone. Your little daughter and your boyfriend are going to spend eternity with me in Lemuria."

Lara glared evilly at him, tightening her grip on the sword. "Let's settle this," she bellowed.

He narrowed his eyes at her, then shot the energy her way. She quickly dodged the attacks by diving to the side, then shot energy from the sword towards him. He dodged it, and immediately retaliated with another burst of energy. Lara quickly reached the sword up, catching the energy against the blade. She gritted her teeth as she fought to hold off the pressure, then shoved the sword forward, pressing against Siamak's attack with the energy from the sword.

Colorful surges of blue and orange collided, streams of equal length separating Lara and Siamak. Now, it was a matter of tug-of-war – who could hold out longer. _Endurance has never been a problem for me, _Lara thought.

"You're wasting your time, Lara!" Siamak shouted over the humming of colliding energy. "You can't kill me!"

"Your bedside talk won't work on me, Siamak!" she returned, shoving harder with the energy.

She heard Siamak chuckle. "So you really _are_ incorruptible…but how about indestructible?"

She felt him shove the energy hard, and she flew backwards into the wall with intense force. Lara collapsed to the ground on her stomach, shaking her vision clear of the darkness creeping in. She reached forward quickly to retrieve the Sword of Light, but was shoved against the wall by Siamak's telepathic force. He stepped towards her, arm outstretched, with a dangerous grin across his face. She could feel pressure on her chest as the air was blocked from entering her lungs. "I don't think you're quite as indestructible," he commented.

She felt the pressure increasing on her chest as she sought for something, anything, to get herself away from him. Siamak drew his free hand back as it surged with green energy. Then, she saw it out of the corner of her eye. The intricately-designed pillar on the opposite side of the room had a shiny brass hook at the top. Her fingers fumbled for her grapple at her side, and she threw it forward. It locked onto the hook, and she quickly pulled, removing the unstable pillar from its nook in the wall. Siamak turned quickly, too shocked to move as the massive pillar fell towards him.

The stones collapsed over his body, and Lara immediately felt the pressure leave her chest. She heaved for fresh air, but knew it wasn't over. She quickly stumbled over to the sword and took it into her hand. Once the dust settled, she saw Siamak lying in the debris, his eyes closed, indicating he was unconscious. Lara wasn't convinced. She tightened her grip on the sword as she stepped closer to the young boy. She cautiously stepped around the debris, keeping her entire focus on Siamak as he lay slumped among the stones.

Suddenly, he lurched forward with a shout of retaliation, ready to impale Lara with the energy in his fist. Lara shoved the Sword of Light forward, spearing him in the gut. The energy in his hand instantly depleted, and the eyes that had been so alive with revenge and hatred stared into Lara's chocolate eyes with confusion and defeat. Lara closed her eyes, realizing she'd just killed a child. _He wasn't a child, _she tried to convince herself. _He was a thousand-year-old forgotten warrior, who would've killed us all, had he had the chance. _She felt his weight slump against her body as the orange energy of the sword surged through his body. Then, she turned towards the gateway and shoved him forward, past the gateway.

Siamak's body staggered past the gateway, but once he reached the other side, his body vanished into thousands of pieces, disappearing from Lara's view. He was gone.

Lara gripped her stomach with her empty hand, glancing down as she saw a minimal amount of blood soaking her clothing. He'd managed to hit her with his last bit of energy, but it hadn't been enough. "Maybe not indestructible," Lara said wearily, "but certainly not afraid to die." She strapped the sword onto her back, then took slow steps into the gateway, determined to find Kurtis and Emily.

* * *

  
Kurtis quickly moved down the corridors of Lemuria, keeping a watchful eye out for both Karel and Emily. _Come on, Em, talk to me, _he pleaded. He'd _been _pleading such a thought since he'd left Lara alone with Siamak. He knew it was a stupid idea – if anyone was going to die at the hands of fate, it wasn't going to be Lara, and certainly not Emily. However, he knew Lara could handle a tiff with Siamak, no matter how powerful he was.

Kurtis headed down the corridor that led to the main arena, where he'd seen Siamak and Emily before. He stopped at the fork. He knew which path led to the arena, but something didn't feel right. He slowly turned his gaze to the corridor down the left, then set foot in that direction until he crossed the unconscious body of his daughter. He quickly bent down next to her, too afraid to touch her and feel her cold skin. _If he killed her, _he thought slowly, _I'm going to…_He didn't even know _what _he would do. No amount of revenge would ever suffice for what Karel had done to his daughter.

Kurtis numbly moved to a crouching position, reaching a shaking hand towards Emily's throat to feel for a pulse. Her face was covered in scratches and bruises, but the worst wound was the blood soaking her t-shirt at her abdomen. Karel had attacked her with one of those bolts of energy. He slowly turned his attention to the flames dancing in the alcove beyond the corridor where Emily lay. Then, he turned back to his daughter, descending to a seated position on his knees. He drew his hand back, not wanting to know whether or not Emily was…

_Emily…_he thought slowly. _Emily, please wake up…_He drew in a deep breath. _Don't be a coward, _he told himself. Then, he reached his hand forward until his fingertips touched her skin. He immediately jerked his hand away. She was cold and lifeless. She was dead. It hardly seemed possible. Kurtis slowly shook his head in disbelief. "No…" he whispered. "No, no…" He leaned over his daughter's body, covering his face with his hands, fighting back tears he never knew he could shed. Then, he drew his hands away and scooped Emily into his arms, cradling her close to his body.

_This is how it should've been, _he thought. _I should've held her like this twelve years ago…not now, not like this. _He heard a scuffle behind him, but paid it no mind. If it was Karel, then Kurtis would rather be dead with his daughter than alive without her. When he heard the soft feminine gasp, he knew it was Lara, and he felt a sickness in his stomach. She took slow, heavy steps towards them, then knelt down beside him, tenderly brushing the brown tendrils of hair out of Emily's face. "No…" she whispered unsteadily. "She's not…"

Lara slowly dropped her head as her hand slipped from Emily's forehead. Tears poured over her cheeks over the loss of her daughter. Then, they heard another scuffle behind them. Both Lara and Kurtis jerked their heads up in time to see the illuminated figure of Siamak standing before them.

* * *

**YES, EMILY REALLY IS DEAD.**

**But stay tuned, and don't hate me too much =)  
**


	14. As It Ends

**I was actually on time this time, guys!! XD**

**

* * *

  
**Lara angrily rose to her feet, removing the sword from her back. "_You_," she bellowed, barely above a whisper. "This is all your doing!" she shouted.

Siamak drew in a slow breath. The look in his eyes read of guilt and atonement, not of anger or revenge like it had been before. He slowly met Lara's gaze. "I should've listened to her," he said quietly.

Lara glared at him, gripping the sword tightly in her hands. "What are you talking about?" she demanded.

"She told me to walk away from all of this," he explained, "to be the leader I'd been thousands of years ago." He hesitated for a moment as he dropped his head. "I thought this would feel…better. I thought that a satiated need for revenge would make me feel complete, but it doesn't." He met her gaze again. "I know this is all my doing. I should've stopped Karel. I should've taken control of Lemuria and done what was right."

"It's too late for regrets now," Lara said angrily. "My daughter is dead. _Dead_. And _you_ could've prevented it! _You_ could have served proper justice to this realm!" She tried to control her heaving rage by focusing on his sorrowful eyes. "I don't even believe anything you're saying," she said slowly. "Your apology is as shallow as your death. You've only been dead for a mere five minutes."

"I didn't want this!" he shouted. He sighed heavily, closing his eyes. Then, he faced Lara. He gazed past her at Kurtis, a look of sorrow and hatred in his eyes as he held his daughter's cold, lifeless body in his arms. He drew in a silent breath. "Karel is in the arena. He's going to rejuvenate the sword, and if he does that, you will die, and he –" he spoke of Kurtis, "– will be trapped in here forever."

"It sounds fair enough," Lara said coldly. "Why should we get to live when our daughter is dead?" It was more of a statement of fact than a question.

Siamak stared into her eyes, then slowly lifted his hand forward. A ball of orange energy glowed in his hand. "Karel had intended for me to steal her powers," he said. "I couldn't bring myself to hurt her. Instead, I stole some of her energy. It isn't much, but it should be enough for her to survive."

Lara glared at him, unsure if he was telling the truth. She turned her gaze towards Kurtis, seeking his approval, who looked more defeated and weary than anything else. He swallowed his fear, then slowly nodded. Lara turned back to Siamak and stepped aside. Siamak slowly approached Emily, kneeling down next to her as the energy glowed in his palm. He slowly reached his hand towards her forehead, and his wrist jerked a bit. He held his hand in place over her head for a moment, then stepped backwards, staring down at Emily.

Kurtis held the young girl tightly in his arms, repeating one thought in his head – _Please, please, please…_Lara cautiously – very cautiously – approached her daughter, bending down next to her. She clenched her fist tightly, probably tightly enough to draw blood. She stared down at Emily's eyelids, waiting for them to open so she could see the living blue eyes she'd known for twelve years.

Kurtis looked up at Siamak, as if expecting an answer. Siamak continued to stare down at the child. _You said she was going to live…_Kurtis wanted to say. But he was cut off by the movement in his arms. His head jerked towards Emily with lightning speed, and he felt Lara's hand on his shoulder as she drew in a gasp, holding her breath.

Emily's eyes slowly flickered open, and she stared blankly at the ceiling above. Then, her gaze slowly turned to her father's eyes. "Dad?" she whispered.

Kurtis felt his heart skip a beat, and he drew her closer to him into a tight embrace, kissing the top of her head. "Don't ever leave me again," he demanded, holding her tightly. He looked up into Lara's eyes as they flooded with tears of relief and happiness. A calm smile crossed her face as she squeezed Kurtis's shoulder with affection. Emily turned over in his arms to face her mother. "Mom," she breathed. "I got him, Mommy. I got Karel."

Lara stared into her daughter's eyes with confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I…" She turned in Kurtis's arms to look over at the dying flames in the alcove beyond. Her face knit into confusion as she pulled out of Kurtis's grasp and gazed up at the empty space in the flames where she'd thought she'd trapped Karel. "He was here…" she said in a small, defeated voice. "I trapped him there…"

"The arena," Siamak spoke up. "He's going to rejuvenate the sword. You need to stop him before he does so."

Lara rose to her feet. "How do you propose we do that?"

"He will have to do it," he said, gesturing towards Kurtis. "It's the only chance you'll stand."

Kurtis rose to his feet. "It's fine," he said flatly. He turned towards Emily to make sure she'd returned to her feet alright, then moved down the corridor, taking the Sword of Light from Lara's grasp. He stopped once he passed Siamak, then turned his head. "You two need to get out of here," he directed to Lara. "I'll handle Karel." Then, he moved down the corridor and out of sight.

Lara turned to face Siamak, trying to figure out what to say. He drew in a silent breath, holding her gaze. "Don't thank me," he said firmly. Then, he took subtle steps backwards until he disappeared completely. Lara slowly dropped her gaze to the floor, then turned towards Emily. "Let's get out of here," she said softly. She approached her daughter, helping her to walk from the alcove, down the corridor, and past the gateway, leaving the realm of Lemuria for good.

* * *

  
Kurtis rounded the corner with the Sword of Light held low in his hand. He'd been here before. Yes, he'd been right here – holding the Sword of Light in his hand as he moved deeper into Lemuria to do away with Karel. This time, he wasn't afraid. This time, he was going to make sure Karel was dead. He turned down the corner into the arena, glimpsing Karel standing on the balcony above. "I was hoping you'd show up," Karel called from above. "It wouldn't be a party without the honored guest."

"So that's your ingenious plan, Karel?" Kurtis returned. "To trap me in here again?"

"You can't kill me without dying yourself," he said. "Siamak was weak, but _I_ am indestructible."

"Siamak was torn between good and bad," Kurtis retorted.

"Am I hearing you defending him?" Karel asked with a grin. "After what he brought upon your darling daughter?"

"Siamak was just a mad dog," Kurtis returned. "You're the one who let him off the leash."

Karel glared at him. "Very well," he said. "Once I rejuvenate this sword, I'll be unstoppable anyways."

Karel reached his hand towards the sword, ignited a burst of green energy in his hands. _Think fast, Kurtis, _he tried to convince himself. He reached for the Chirugai on his belt, then threw it forward, sending it into the air with a quick slice on Karel's wrist. Karel cried out in pain as the disk returned to Kurtis's grasp. He glared down at the Lux knight, then moved forward again, finally giving the sword the green energy he'd intended it to have.

Kurtis glanced down at the Sword of Light in his hand. Then, he drew his arm back and launched the sword through the air. It sailed through the empty space and towards Karel as he turned forward just in time to see his kryptonite flying towards him. The blade pierced his gut, and he staggered backwards. The sparks emitted from the sculpture holding Siamak's sword, and the entire balcony crumbled, collapsing to the ground below.

_Time to go, _Kurtis thought quickly. He turned down the corridor and ran as fast he could, glimpsing the glowing light of the gateway ahead. It was so close.

Kurtis could feel the destruction behind him. He could feel everything in Lemuria collapsing, falling apart. As he drew closer to the gateway, he could see the edges drawing in, narrowing into the size the portal had been. _No_, he thought. _Not this time. Not again._

_

* * *

  
_Emily leaned against the center pillar of the temple room just outside of the gateway to Lemuria. Lara paced nervously before her. In fact, Emily had never seen her so nervous. _This must be what it had felt like the first time this happened, _Emily thought, feeling sorry for her mother. She clenched her fists at her side, praying her father would return safely.

They jerked their heads up when they heard an imploded hum. They could see it from where they stood – Lemuria was crumbling. How? Neither knew, much less cared. All they wanted was to see Kurtis emerging from the abyss.

The edges of the gateway began to dissipate. Emily clenched her fist at her side even tighter. _Come on, Dad,_ she thought nervously. _Hurry up…_Then, in the distance, she saw Kurtis's figure as he rushed towards the dissolving gateway. Emily took a step forward, preparing to run ahead, but she felt Lara grip her arm to stop her. She held her breath, waiting until she saw Kurtis coming closer. Then, he stumbled to the ground, knocked flat by an explosion in the distance. "Dad!" Emily shouted. She turned to rush ahead once again, but Lara pulled her back even harder.

_Get up, Kurtis, _Lara thought worriedly. _Get up and run!_ She watched fearfully as the gateway continued to dissolve. He looked up just in time to meet her gaze. _Don't leave me alone again, _she demanded, communicating through her eyes. The gateway continued to close in.

Lara's grip on Emily's arm tightened to the point where she'd forgotten she was holding her daughter and not a stress-ball. Kurtis pushed off the ground and continued forward, then dived through the portal just as the entire celestial gateway disappeared.

Lara breathed a sigh of relief, then released her daughter. Emily rushed forward to her father, bending down next to him. Lara followed after her, enacting the same motions. Kurtis opened his eyes as he lay on his back. His gaze turned from Emily to Lara, then he chuckled. "You two are certainly a sight for sore eyes," he muttered wearily.

Lara chuckled with relief, then leaned forward to kiss him tenderly. Emily covered her eyes and turned away. "Gross," she muttered.

* * *

  
**Awwwww a stupid happy ending. Just like you guys want =P One more chapter though! Catch you Monday :)**


	15. Resolution

**Well, here we are at the end, at the much awaited epilogue, the final part to the final installment of my four-part series. It really killed me to write such a happy ending, buuuuut...what could I do =P**

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* * *

  
**The soft winds of the London air drifted through the cloud-covered sky on the late Sunday afternoon. Emily pulled her light brown cardigan sweater over her shoulders as the wind lifted her long brown locks. She quietly looked up, glancing about at the faces around her – Zip, Alister, Winston, her mother, and her father. Each bore looks of both sadness, yet acceptance. Emily turned towards the granite headstone they were circled around. _Garin Limoux. Lux Veritatis knight. Beloved friend, never forgotten._

Emily removed the small jasmine flower tucked behind her ear, then tenderly approached the headstone to place it along the tiled bottom. She stepped back, pulling her arms towards her body. She felt her mother place her hands on her shoulders, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. "You think he's in Heaven?" Emily asked innocently.

"I'm not sure, love," Lara admitted. "As good of a person he was, I'll bet he is…"

"He _was_ quite the colorful fellow," Alister chipped in. "A very friendly lad with a large heart."

"He was," Zip agreed, tucking his hands into his pants pockets. "He died for what he believed in – an honorable way to go, if you ask me."

"Honorable, indeed," Lara added softly. She slowly turned her gaze to Kurtis, who stood with his hands in his pockets, staring on at the gravestone with a reserved look of fondness. "Are you alright?" Lara asked quietly.

He turned slowly towards her, then let his mouth curve into a subtle smile of content. "Yeah," he replied. "I am."

Lara nodded slowly, matching his grin. Then, she turned back towards the headstone. A lightning bolt reached across the sky overhead, and a large thunder roll accompanied it. "We should go in," Lara said. The small group turned away, heading towards the Croft Manor in the distance.

* * *

  
Lara held the glass of brandy in her hand, leaning against the fireplace in the study room on the second floor. The sun had set outside about an hour or so ago, and the rain was falling generously. The flames in the fireplace danced about, reflecting a subtle glow against the grained wood floors. Lara let the liquor dance about in the glass as she swished it around, staring forward at Kurtis as he peered out the window into the rain.

Kurtis sighed, then turned to face her, wearily running his hand through his hair. A soft grin appeared on Lara's face as she stared into Kurtis's blue eyes. After a moment, a grin crossed his face as he stared at her with confusion. "What?" he asked.

"I don't know," Lara admitted, releasing a soft chuckle. "I really don't, honestly. It's just…" She drew in a silent breath. "Seeing you…here…"

"Here…?" he said slowly, scooping up his own glass of brandy off of the nearby coffee table. He leaned against the fireplace on the opposite side, staring into Lara's eyes. "In your stately manor, yet again," he said with a grin.

Lara smiled at him. "That's not what I meant," she said, meeting his eyes. "Seeing you here, after twelve years…here you are, with me…"

"I know what you meant," he said, setting his glass of liquor on the mantelpiece. "I can't give you an answer to your question if I don't even know the question."

"So we're back to that, are we?" she asked playfully. "Forcing me into submission by admitting things that I would rather not have to voice?"

"Exactly," he said with a cocky grin. "It's been my plan all along."

"But I think you very well know the question, Mr. Trent," she continued, setting her glass of brandy next to his on the mantel.

"I believe I do," he said, "but I want to hear _you_ ask it."

Lara sighed. "Very well," she said. She held his gaze for a moment, trying to be serious. "What does all these men gunning for us and all these unnecessary stays in mystical realms bring you to realize?"

"It brings me to realize what's important," he replied calmly. "It brings me to realize what I couldn't stand living without."

Lara lifted her head, holding eye contact. "And what could you not live without?"

"Well, my heart, for one," he replied. "As I recall, I remember telling you flatly that you have it. You know…so long as you _want _it."

"Something so valuable…" Lara pondered. "I couldn't risk losing it again…" She folded her arms over her chest. "Very well. So how far can you wander while someone else has your heart?"

He chuckled that sexy laugh he often chuckled. "Not much farther than a block or two."

"Well, that will be a problem, since the States are a lot farther from London than just a block or two…"

"You have a point there," he said with a grin. "Then I guess I can't stray too far from you, can I?"

"You certainly can't," Lara countered.

"I've always wondered what it would be like to live in London," he said. "To have tea three times a day, to ride around in a big red double-decker bus, to ride in the London Eye and call it fun…"

Lara laughed heartily. "Please," she begged. "I haven't ridden the buses since I was a child, and the London Eye is an over-glorified Ferris wheel."

"But what about the tea?" he asked.

Lara nodded slowly. "Well, only twice a day," she said. "It's a good relief."

Kurtis chuckled. "Perhaps so," he said. "I suppose I could get used to it…"

"Or you could just offer London the best of the States," she said with a shrug. "We certainly welcome you Yanks here without protest."

He chuckled in shock. "_Yank_?" he asked. "I've been around you enough…I like to think that some of your London-ness has rubbed off on me."

"Wishful thinking," Lara commented with a chuckle. She drew closer to Kurtis as he pulled her warm body into his, meeting her mouth for a tender kiss. "I believe Lady Croft deserves a real reason to wear that ring on her finger anyway," Kurtis whispered against her mouth. Then, he dropped another kiss over her plump lips.

Lara grinned as she pulled away just enough to brush her lips against his. "And I'm quite tired of sleeping alone at night," she said softly, kissing his lips again.

"Well, I would certainly not want something like that to happen," he replied. "We should make up for it right now…"

Lara laughed something between a girlish giggle and a sexy chuckle. "We should…" she agreed. "It _is_ getting late…but you should make sure your daughter is all set in bed."

Kurtis kissed her again on the lips, then drew in her heady scent. "Sounds like a plan," he said. "I'll meet you in bed in a few." He dropped one final kiss over her lips, then pulled away from her, exiting the study and heading down the dimly-lit upstairs hallway towards Emily's room.

Kurtis softly knocked at Emily's door. After a moment, when she didn't respond, he pushed it open. The window was open in the distance, the sound of the soft rain entering through into the room. He approached the sill and pulled the window shut, then pulled the curtains closed. He gazed over at the bed to see the lumpy figure of his daughter lying under the blankets and pillows. A soft smile crossed his lips – a smile of relief that after everything, here they were, _home_. After everything, he had a place to call home – here in London, with Lara, Emily, Zip, Alister, and Winston. They were his family – this was his home.

Kurtis quietly approached Emily's bedside, seating himself on the edge. He brushed the hair out of her eyes, and she stirred sleepily meeting his gaze. "Hi, Dad," she said wearily with a yawn.

"Hey, kid," he replied. "I'm just checking on you, making sure you're settled in alright."

"I'm fine," she said.

Kurtis reached his hand into his pocket, removing a small, chrome object. "I got you something," he said. He extended the object forward, revealing it to be a shiny new lighter. Emily gasped, taking it into her hands. "It's _awesome_," she said. She met his gaze with a soft smile. "Thank you."

Kurtis grinned back. "I figured you could use it – it's better than the one you had before."

"It definitely is," Emily agreed. She slowly met his gaze, drawing in a deep breath. "Are you…are you going back to the States?"

A soft smile crossed his face. "No," he said. "I'm staying here – with you guys. If that's okay…"

Emily chuckled. "Of course it's okay," she said.

Kurtis leaned forward, kissing her on the forehead. Then, he drew back. "Get some sleep," he said softly. She rolled over in bed, likely to fall asleep within seconds.

Kurtis approached the door, stopping only to gaze back at Emily for the briefest second. Then, he turned away and exited, heading down the hall towards his and Lara's room.

* * *

**Uuugghhh. It sickens me to be so cheesy -_- But I did it for you guys. I know how you like it!**

**A BIG HUGE HEARTY WARM APPRECIATIVE LOVING AND GRATUITOUS THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN WITH ME SINCE 'THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH'. You are the ones who inspired me to keep going with the series!**

**Another huge thank you to everyone who read my story after that, and thus far. I appreciate all of your dedication to reading my updates and all the critical review you gave to me. It made everything that much more enjoyable!!**

**And to anyone in the future who may read this after I post this final chapter...thank you for reading as well!! **

**I hope everyone enjoyed the stories. I likely won't post anything else, at least not for a long time. If I do, though, keep an eye on the horizon for my name =)**

**Take care everyone!! =)  
**


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